


Shadows of the Night

by BCI603, phieillydinyia



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: 1986, Bald Eagle, F/F, F/M, Horror, Hurt/Comfort, Jancy, Jopper, Justice for Alexei, Lumax, Mileven, Ngl the characters give away some of it, Old Monsters come back cause they're bitches, Romance, Scoops Troop, attempted comedy, idk what tags are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2020-07-23 12:31:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 57,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20008339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BCI603/pseuds/BCI603, https://archiveofourown.org/users/phieillydinyia/pseuds/phieillydinyia
Summary: It's been seven months since the gate was closed once again, since Billy and Hopper died.Four months since the Byers and El left town.Friendships and relationships are tested. Some even have a 50/50 chance at staying together.Valentine's Day is supposed to be all about love, isn't it? Well... not so much.





	1. Chapter One: A Rehash of Crazy Friends

**Author's Note:**

> This is my attempt at a Stranger Things Season 4, and I hope you guys like it!

**Thursday, July 4, 1985**

“No,” El whispered, when she saw Joyce and Will hugging, but no sign of Hopper. Joyce looked at her and seemed to cry harder, and she knew. He was gone. “No, no!” she fell to her knees and screamed. The sound echoed in the night, some even hearing it over the sirens. 

“EL!” Mike yelled, tossing the blanket off him and running towards her.

“El, El, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“No, no, no, NO.” she sobbed. “Gone! He’s gone!” she wailed. 

Mike sank to his knees in front of her, taking her hands in his and pulling her close to him.

“Who? Who’s gone?”

“My d-dad!” she cried. “No, no, no, he can’t be.” she shook her head. 

“El… I am so… so sorry.” Joyce said quietly, her and El let out another heart breaking wail before completely burying herself in Mike’s arms. He hugged her tight, a hand tangled in her hair on the back of her head comfortingly. He looked up at the sky as he whispered soothing words in her ear, silent tears falling down his face.

* * *

Hours later, everyone was at the hospital getting checked out. Mike and El both were in the process of getting stitches- Mike needed a couple for the small gash on his nose and under his eye, and El needed… a lot, for the gashes on her leg, and a butterfly stitch on her forehead. They were all in one one room, multiple beds with curtains separating. Steve was passed out in his bed, Dustin and Robin in the room with him. They were both fine, other than the drug that had already come from Robin’s system. Max and Lucas sat in chairs between Mike and El’s beds, Lucas holding a bag of ice to Max’s cheek. Nancy stood on the other side of her brother, letting him squeeze her hand while the nurse put the stitches in, and Will and Jonathan stood with El, doing exactly what Nancy was doing. Everyone had gotten checked for injuries, and the worst one was El’s leg, of course.

Erica was with Joyce and Murray, asking Dr. Owens questions, her mouth running a mile a minute. Eventually, though, Lucas forced his sister to go sit with Dustin and Robin, at the foot of Steve’s bed.

A while later, when there were no nurses or doctors in the room, Dustin let out a loud sigh, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

“Are we gonna talk about it?” he asked.

“How you and your girlfriends performance that costs us…” Max started, but trailed off.

“No, we’re not speaking of that again.” he retorted.

“We’ll talk about it in the coming days.” Murray said. “We all just need a rest for now. You kids especially. Plus, I hear some _very_ worried voices coming from down the hall, so you best prepare yourselves for the onslaught of worried parents.”

“Lucas and Erica Sinclair…” Mrs. Sinclair didn’t waste a second, yanking her children out of the room and into the hallway, where their dad was waiting.

“Oh my Dusty, you’re so dirty! What on earth happened?” Claudia gasped, poking and prodding at her only son.

“Where is that shithead of a son of mine?” Neil growled as he stalked towards Max, who instinctively backed up into the wall, eyes filled with fear even as she glared. “And why isn’t he with you?” he demanded.

“He’s dead.” Max spit. Neil’s eyes widened ever so slightly and Susan gasped.

“You’re lying.” he hissed.

“No, I’m not.” she hissed back. “Your son is dead. He saved me and my friends.”

“He wouldn’t do that.” Neil chuckled humorlessly. “Not my son.” 

“You mean the son that you abused?” Mike asked. Neil’s eyes snapped towards the young teen, who’s _had_ it at this point.

“Excuse me?” Neil zeroed in on him. Mike stared back, eyes dark.

“He sure didn’t take a page out of your book, Mr. Hargrove.” Mike said, eerily calm. The young teen crossed his arms, sitting up straight in his chair. “He was an absolute asshole, tried to hit us with his car, yeah, but he redeemed himself tonight. If it weren’t for him, we’d _all_ be dead. I take it he didn’t get the good in him from you.”

“Chill, Mike.” Max said, shaking her head at him and giving him a look.

“Yeah that’s a no.” Mike said, looking at her. He turned back to Neil, who looked like he was ready to throw Mike out the window. “You’re a pathetic excuse for a father. You deserve anything and everything coming for you, and believe me, it’s a _lot_ . And you.” Mike rounded on Susan, who’s eyes widened. “The fact that you stay with this son of a bitch, _knowing_ he’s abusive to his son- _was_ abusive- and _scares your daughter_ makes you just as bad.” 

Mike stood up, glanced around the room, and looked at El, “I’ll be back soon.” he told her softly. She looked like she wanted to argue, but nodded. With a defiant stare, Mike pushed past Neil and Susan, praying to God that Neil didn’t actually try and attack him. The second he was out of the room, he let out a breath and made his way to the- now empty- waiting room.

He fully intended on going back the second he knew the Hargroves were gone. But then… Karen Wheeler arrived, and he ended up with a massive headache and an urge to punch anything and everything- and needing a hug from his mom, of course, but that's besides the point.

* * *

**_One week later_ **

**Friday, July 12, 1985**

The funeral for Hopper was a big one, a lot more people than anyone expected showed up. Many people hugged El and gave their condolences, to which she hardly responded to. She hadn’t talked much since that night. Losing Hopper, her powers, everything was vastly different from what she was used to, and she didn’t know how to handle it.

“Is there _any_ way he could’ve survived the blast?” Mike asked quietly, glancing in the living room at his- at El, who was lying on the couch, her head in Max’s lap and legs in Dustin’s. The cabin was destroyed, now, so El had been staying with the Byers. Nancy, Steve and Jonathan had gone back to the cabin a few days later and packed up everything that could be salvaged. Most of El’s room was fine, surprisingly, and Hoppers, well, it took them awhile but they’re pretty sure they got everything he owned out of there.

“I don’t… I don’t know. The others there, they… they were vaporized.” he sighed and nodded. El got up off the floor and slowly made her way to her room with her crutches- which she absolutely hated. Will had moved into Jonathan’s room in the short week she’d been there. He looked at Joyce and she nodded, and he followed her, knocking on the door frame as she carefully sat on her bed and put her leg on another pillow.

“Hey,” he nearly whispered. “can I come in?” she nodded, and patted the space next to her. He crawled on the bed next to her and they sat in silence for a few moments.

“You know I… I’d look for him. If I could.” she said, finally. “Just to see if he’s… somewhere, _anywhere_. But I can’t.” she bit her lip, pausing for a minute, as if debating what to say next. She sighed, “Benny died because of me. He helped me and got a bullet, right here.” she pointed at her forehead.

“El…”

“You took me in for a week and… I changed your life for the _worst_. You could have died because of me-”

“El, no it wasn’t your fault.”

“He told me, Mike… He _told_ me that I saved him from the black hole.” she gasped, continuing. “And it came back- it came back and _it took him away from me_ ! A black hole that _I created_ , me,” she pointed at herself, “it took him, and I-I hate myself. I couldn’t save him from the black hole. Not this time.” 

“That wasn’t your fault!” Mike yelled over her loud accusations of herself. “None of it was your fault, El. You didn’t mean to open that… black hole. You didn’t want any of this to happen, to anyone.”

“He was the only dad I ever really had.” she whispered, face crumbling. “And he’s gone because he saved _me_ from my _own black hole_.”

“He saved all of us. Hopper died a hero, El. That’s what he’s always been, a hero.” he placed his hand on her cheek, making her look at him. “Hopper is a hero. He would have risked his life for anyone, even me- even though I was the biggest douche to him.” she stared at him for a second.

“Douche?” she sniffed.

“Uh, I’ll explain that later. But… El, you tried your best and you saved us, so many times. Even though you did open that gate, you’ve proven time and time again that you didn’t want to, that you wanted everyone safe. You even sacrificed yourself, El, and saved _so_ many people.”

“It still hurts.” she cried. “He can’t yell at us to turn the music down, to- to leave the door open thr-three inches.”

“I know, El. I know.” Mike pulled her into his arms and hugged her as she sobbed. “I know.”

* * *

**_One month later_ **

**Saturday, August 17, 1985**

“We have to tell you something.” Will said, as he and El walked into Mike’s basement. 

“You’re not wasting time then.” Dustin snickered.

“What’s wrong?” Mike asked, sitting up on the couch.

“How do you know something’s wrong?” Max asked him, raising an eyebrow. 

“I know my- I know El better than any of you. Will too.” he replied, completely ignoring her and turning his attention to the two.

“He’s right, it’s… not good news.” Will said. 

“Who died?” Lucas asked. Both Mike and Max threw a pillow at him.

“I’m breaking up with you again.”

“Dammit, that’s the seventh time.”

“Stop being a dumbass.”

“Guys.” Will said, shaking his head. “Seriously.”

“What is it?” Mike asked. El walked over and sat next to him on the couch, bending her good leg and resting her chin on it. The cuts have healed for the most part on her other leg, but it still tugs and burns when she moves it wrong. Will sat in one of the D&D chairs and scratched the back of his neck.

“Mom talked to us today, me, El and Jonathan and told us that… she put the house on the- the market a few months ago and…” he paused and looked around at the room, tearing up as he saw the looks of realization come onto their faces

“You’re moving.” Mike asked softly. 

“Yes.” El nodded.

“Where to?” Max asked.  
  
“Elgin, Illinois.” Will replied.

“Three hours and 24 minutes away on a good day.” El sighed.

“You don’t seem all too surprised or upset, Wheeler. What’s your deal?” Max asked, eyebrows raised.

“My mom saw you guys house in the newspaper last month.” he said, looking at them. “And said something about it to me, thinking I knew.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” El asked him.

“I didn’t want to.” Mike replied, shrugging. “It’s your guys’ news, I didn’t want to tell everyone before you did.”

“Oh.”

“Well, at least you didn’t lie like a bag of assholes this time.” Max said, rolling her eyes. Mike stared at her for a few seconds.

“There’s the goddamn door.” he pointed at it. “Use it.” he stood, and without looking at anyone, stormed up the stairs, slamming the door behind him. They faintly heard Karen yell “Michael!” along with Mike’s “I don’t give a _shit_!”

“Really, Max?” Dustin huffed, crossing his arms. “Really?”

“What?” she asked, confused. 

“Mike made one mistake. _One_.” he replied. “And you won’t shut your damn mouth about it.”

“One mistake? Really?” she retorted, crossing her arms as well. “As far as I’m concerned, not only did he lie to El, but he tried to control her and her powers, wouldn’t let her hang out with us-”

“El had a say so in all that, didn’t you, El?” Will piped up. Max raised an eyebrow. El glanced at Max and nodded. “Mike has always wanted what’s best for El, since the night he met her.”

“He didn’t want her to get in trouble with… And he didn’t want her to hurt herself using her powers,” Dustin said. 

“Mike said he wanted me all to himself.” El commented and they looked at each other. “At the mall. But he apologized to me. Then he told me he was scared I’d leave him. Again.” tears welled up in her eyes. “I would never leave Mike. Not on purpose.”

“You mean you’d never _really_ break up with him?” Will asked. She nodded.

“Yes. I love him.”

“Oh.”

“We already knew this.” Dustin waved Will off. He chuckled. Lucas was frowning at Max, who still looked pissed.

“I’m gonna go check on… Mike.” El said, standing and leaving the basement, shutting the door softly behind her.

“Max.” Lucas started. “You might get mad at me for this, but I’m gonna tell you like it is.”

“Oh God.” she rolled her eyes.

“The fact that _you_ treat Mike like he’s a piece of shit really bothers me. And you know _why_?”

“Why?”

“He stood up for you.”

“He didn’t have to do that.”

“No, he didn’t. That’s the point, he didn’t have to, but he _did_. But despite the fact that he’s redeemed himself for the way he acted last year- you’ve given him absolute shit. When Billy hit you you-”

“That wasn’t Billy.” she replied harshly.

“When the _Mind_ _Flayer_ hit you and knocked you out,” he corrected, “Mike moved towards him like he was gonna get him back for it, you know? But he was thrown into the damn pipes, was knocked out, and now has a scar on his face to show for it.”

Dustin and Will just watched from the other side of the room, glancing at each other.

“And at the hospital, when your mom and Neil showed up? He knew you were scared of Neil, and he told him off to get him away from you. And all he got from you was _chill, Mike_.” Lucas mocked. “No thank you, no nothing. So if anyone here has made mistakes, it’s you. We’ve all made them. Hell, the smallest mistake I make, you break up with me. And you know what?” Lucas chuckled a little. “We’re done, for good. You don’t get to try and hurt me over and over again because I make mistakes or do something you don’t like. If anyone here is controlling, it’s you.”

“Holy shit.” Dustin whispered to Will, who gave him a look that showed the exact same thing Dustin was feeling.

“So until _you_ get your head out of your _ass_ , you’re out of the party.” Lucas let his arms drop, pointing at the door. “As my best friend said, _there’s the door_.” Max stared at him for a few seconds, before glancing at her bag and nodding.

“Fine, okay.” she grabbed anything she’d taken out of it, stuffed it in there and left quickly.

It was quiet for a few minutes, and finally, Will asked, “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Lucas snorted. “I’m fine. I’m tired of her being a bitch and breaking up with me just for the hell of it. I swear she gets off on it.”

“What does that mean?” El asked, she and Mike popping up out of seemingly nowhere. Lucas shrieked and Dustin and Will laughed. 

“What does what mean?” Lucas grumbled, plopping down angrily.

“She gets off on it.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s not important.” Mike told El, shaking his head. “It’s a saying I’d rather you not know right now.” she furrowed her brows but shrugged, nodding.

“Where is Max?”

“She left.” Lucas replied.

“After he made her leave. He went off on her, dude.” Dustin said. “That’s best friend material right here.” he clapped Lucas on the shoulder. Mike raised his eyebrows at them.

“I got tired of her talking shit about you. So, I talked shit to her about how she didn’t even say thank you for what you did at the mall. Well, _tried_ to do, but it still counts. And then again at the hospital. I broke up with her.”

“Did you guys get back together within the ten minutes we were gone?” Mike asked, making a face. El giggled.

“No, I said we were done for good.”

“He also said that until she gets her head out of her ass, she’s out of the party.” Will added. Lucas nodded. Dustin grinned and bounced in his seat a little, and said,

“It was awesome. And well deserved. I love Max, she’s like a sister, but _she_ needed to chill the hell out.”

“And you wonder why I didn’t want her in the party to begin with.” Mike shook his head.

“I still like her.” El said, shrinking away a little when they looked at her. “Not because of what she’s said about you.” she shook her head. “I’d throw her off her skateboard again if I could.” Mike couldn’t help but grin at that.

“That’d be nice.”

“We had fun together. When we weren’t talking about boys. She showed me her comic books and danced to music with me.”

“You can still be friends with her, El.” Mike told her. “Just because we don’t wanna be anymore doesn’t mean you can’t. That’s your choice.” she nodded, biting her lip.

“Just don’t let her convince you boys suck, us especially. We’re not like Neil and Billy were.”

“Oh hell no.” El spit out. “You can never be like them. I won’t let you.” Dustin couldn’t help but giggle a little when she said hell.

“Oh so you’re swearing now?” Mike raised an eyebrow at her, grinning a little.

“I deserve to be able to.” she replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, grinning at him.

“Hell yeah you do.” he agreed.

Dustin was digging through one of Mike’s boxes, looking for a comic to read so he could ignore their love fest, when he realized something, dropping the stack in his hands and looking at El, “Max read comic books?”

“Yes. Girl power.”

* * *

**_Two months later_ **

**Saturday, October 19, 1985**

“It’s really freaking stupid and pisses me off!” Mike exclaimed, throwing a pillow at the wall and face planting on his bed. Nancy sighed as she listened to her brother rant, even though it was muffled now. She sat in his desk chair and rolled closer to the bed, propping her feet up on his ass. He lifted his head up and looked at her. “Really?”

“Yes, really. Mike, I know it sucks that they’re leaving next week. How do you think I feel? _My_ boyfriend is moving three hours away too. It’s not just Will and El.”

“Yeah, and you don’t have a best friend that’s moving that you’ve known since kindergarten.”

“No, my best friend is dead.” she replied, crossing her arms. His expression softened.

“You know I wasn’t…”

“I know. It’s not like we won’t get to see them again. Mom has already given us permission to go have Thanksgiving with them and spend our break with them. And Jonathan told me that he and the other two menaces were going to try and convince Mrs. Byers to come back for Christmas.” she told him. “Yes it sucks. Like incredibly sucks, but Mrs. Byers made up her mind months ago that they were moving, and she’s already paid for the house. There’s no changing her mind. And honestly… I think they need to leave town for a while, after all that’s happened, you know?” Mike just grumbled to himself and buried his face in his comforter. “El too. I can just imagine how she feels every time they pass the mall on the way to and from school.”

“But buying a house is _permanent_ , Nancy.”

“I’m aware.”

“And Elgin is three hours away. Even if they visit a lot, they’ll eventually stop coming home and Will will find a new group of friends and a new best friend that he likes more and El… she’ll get actual girl friends- which is a good thing- and they’ll hang out and shit and meet new guys and El will probably just forget about my lanky, frog looking ass.”

Nancy stared at her brother as he sat up, huffed and punched his mattress, and snorted. He glared at her.

“This isn’t funny, Nancy!” he exclaimed. “ _You_ and Jonathan can _both_ drive and me and El and Will can’t yet. It’s not fair.” he crossed his arms.

“Mike, you of all people oughta know by now that life isn’t fair.” she told him. “Besides, you know damn well that if Jon or I go there or here we’ll bring you or Will and El with us to visit.”

“I hope you know that the average person wouldn’t understand a damn thing you just said.” she chuckled.

“You know what I mean though, right? If one or the other goes, you or El and Will go too.” he nodded.

“Duh. But still, like mom and dad will actually let us go a lot.”

“God, you’re such a pessimist.”

“Nancy, we _all_ know by now that that’s who I am. None of you have accepted it yet.” Nancy rolled her eyes at her little brother.

“Dramatic too.”

“Everyone’s accepted _that_.” he retorted. She grabbed a pillow off the floor and hit him with it. He threw it back at her, smacking her face. 

“You little asshole!” she gasped, standing up and grabbing the pillow again, smacking him repeatedly with it as he laughed.

* * *

**Saturday, October 26, 1985**

“I love you too.”

Mike felt like such an idiot as El walked away from him, hugging the teddy bear close to her. She _heard_ him that night at the cabin- of course she did, the walls were thin and he was pretty much yelling like the loud, dramatic teen he was.

He couldn’t explain how happy it made him, though, that she loved him back. _Really_ loved him. He didn’t care about the teasing the Party and Max threw his way because of the cheesy grin on his face. Max was helping out only because El requested her to, and so they could say goodbye. No one except El and Will really talked to her still- though Mike heard Max and Lucas singing that stupid song Dustin had apparently sung on the supercom together, like nothing had really changed.

The only people really missing, now, other than the obvious, was Steve, Robin and Erica. Erica would rather not say goodbye to the two she’d grown to love, and Robin and Steve had come and said goodbye the day prior, and were out looking for new jobs together. 

“If you get the job, take it.” Steve told the girl, who rolled her eyes.

“Look, I’d much rather work with you than Cheeto Fingers back there.”

“Wow, I’m better than that disgusting piece of cheeto dust?”

“A lot better.” she chuckled. “Besides, all things considered, it was pretty fun working with you, so I think it’d be fun to work together again.”

“Really?” he asked. 

“Yes, really. Stop acting so surprised, Dingus.” he stuck his tongue out at her. They walked down the sidewalk, looking at the windows at shops, looking to see if there was anywhere hiring.

Suddenly, Steve let out a dramatic gasp and ripped off a poster that was on the door of Melvald’s.

“Melvald's! How stupid can I be? Since the Byers are… leaving, I’m sure Mr. what’s his name needs a new worker or two!”

“Steve.” Robin face palmed. “Mr. what’s his name _owns_ the store. The store is _named_ after him.”

“Oh. Is it really?”

“Yes, Dingus, really! But you are right, so let’s go and see about that job.”

Twenty- embarrassing- minutes later, the two walked out of Melvald’s with the promise of beginning work training on Monday.

“I don’t mean to ruin the mood but… I wonder how the little shits are doing.” Steve said as he and Robin got into his car. His dad had thankfully had a spare set of keys, and Steve was told that if he lost this pair he had to figure out a ride on his own.

“Probably not good.” she replied. “I feel bad for them. All of them.”

“Me too. I know little Wheeler is probably completely heartbroken right now. He and El just can’t be happy, it seems like.”

“Well, life isn’t always happy. They know that, by now. It’ll all change one day. If the long distance works, well… I think Mike will probably try to marry the girl the same day they graduate.” Steve laughed at that.

“You have a very good point.”

* * *

_**Kamchatka, Russia** _

“Not the American.” One of two men spoke, in Russian. “Not today.” he continued.

The other man nodded and skipped the door, opening the one right next to it, and together, they hauled a dirty, dark haired man out and dragged him out of the cell. He fought like hell to get away from them, but it didn’t work, and he was dragged down long hallways and never ending stair wells…

Until he was thrown into a large cage, dried blood all over the floor, hardly a spot without it.

He turned as he heard rattling, metal squealing as he gave up on begging them. A door lifted as he held onto the sides of the cage for dear life, not knowing what his fate would be.

He heard snarling, and suddenly, a horrid, horrid creature came crawling out from behind the door, and the man’s heart nearly stopped on sight. It stood, taller and taller until it was _impossibly_ tall. He backed away as it stalked closer, and with a screech, the Demogorgon attacked.


	2. Chapter Two: Happy Holidays and In Between!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter’s title was “A Rehash of Crazy Friends” named by the amazing Squashie (phieillydinyia), which, for those who think it was a recap, it really wasn’t, lmao. Obviously, yes, we had El’s reaction to Hopper being gone, with a little extra, and the Byers and El moving, which was after what happened in the actual show. Everything else is just what happened in the three months. I didn’t want to start another story just for the three months ya know. 
> 
> After this chapter, the story begins, with eight long, long chapters of craziness :D
> 
> And if you still think I hate Max by the end of this chapter, idk what to tell you ‘cause I don’t.
> 
> Luis Rodriguez played by Marcel Ruiz

******Thursday, October 31, 1985**

**_Hawkins, Indiana_ **

“It’s so weird not going trick-or-treating this year,” Dustin said to Lucas as they greeted Mrs. Wheeler, going straight to the basement.

“I know. As tall as Mike’s getting, they’d probably not give him any candy ‘cause he looks too old.”

“I can buy my own candy, thank you very much,” Mike called, his face mushed in a pillow on the couch. “Screw them.”

“Someone isn’t a happy camper!” Dustin smacked Mike on the ass with a pillow, so Mike grabbed the pillow his face was in, and smacked Dustin’s legs so fast and surprisingly hard he hit the ground, arms flailing. “You ass!” Dustin shrieked, he and Lucas both falling into peels of laughter. Mike rolled his eyes and sat up, sitting Indian style on the couch. The two finally calmed down and sat in their respective spots.

“Where are you getting money, anyways?” Lucas asked.

“Helping mom out more. She slips me an extra five or ten every week. And when we’re not hanging out I’ve been raking leaves for the neighbors.”

“You haven’t raked _our_ leaves,” Lucas said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, because you can do it.” Mike replied, giving him a look. “And everyone else in this neighborhood is old as hell and can’t do it.”

“Awe look, Mikey boy’s heart is softening.”

“Keep it up or no pizza for you, Dustybun.” Mike mocked. Dustin flipped him off.

They didn’t talk much as Mike got a movie set up on the TV and started it.

A quarter of the way through it, Mike couldn’t even remember the name of it. He couldn’t help noticing the empty space next to him, where Will would sit. He let out a sigh- louder than he meant- but the other teens didn’t notice, too focused on the movie. They haven’t been gone a week, and he misses them like crazy. He can just imagine what it would feel like in a month, a year… it sucked. He knows he’ll still get to see his best friend and his girlfriend, but Mike has seen his best friend or talked to him at least once a day- besides that week in ‘83, of course- since they were five years old. They’d been friends for almost ten years now.

Nine years in a row, they went trick-or-treating together, eventually adding Lucas and Dustin into the group, and then Max last year. After last year, they planned on _not_ going trick-or-treating, to instead watch movies at the Wheeler's, in Mike’s basement. But Will isn’t there, he wouldn’t be coming late. He wasn’t even in the state anymore.

And El, well… the two got to see each other every single day for almost a year. Now, if they’re lucky, they’ll get to see each other twice a month. Sure, they’ve talked at least once a day for what feels like hours, thanks to Cerebro, as Joyce hadn’t set up the phone yet. El has _never_ experienced Halloween, not even with Hopper, and Mike thought they’d all give her the experience she deserves this year, but that thought was so completely wrong it made him feel like an idiot.

* * *

**_Elgin, Illinois_ **

El sighed, resting her chin on her hand as she listened to some kid Halloween movie that was playing, but she wasn’t paying attention. She thinks it was called E.T. Will told her that Dustin thought she was like their E.T., but she wasn’t an alien, so she didn’t really react to it when he told her. 

She, Joyce, Will and Jonathan sat on the couch, squished together, but she didn’t mind. She felt better, safer, feeling the warmth around her. It didn’t stop her from missing Mike, though. They talked today, using cerebro, and he sounded so sad that she wasn’t there. He always did, but today especially. She was sad too, but she couldn’t do anything about it. No one could.

The only good thing about today was that the candy was _good_. And Joyce bought a bunch of it, and the teens damn near ate all of it by the time the night was over.

“Well,” Will said as the two brushed their teeth together, “At least you’ll have the annual November first stomach ache.” El looked at him, stopping her brushing and made a face at him. He spit the toothpaste into the sink and wiped his mouth with a washcloth. “When you eat a lot of candy like we did tonight, you get a stomach ache, and the only time me or the Party actually ate so much candy was Halloween, so we just started calling it that.”

“Oh.” she smiled a little. “Annual is… every year, right?” Will nodded.

“Yeah. Sorry, I didn’t know if you knew it or not.” he apologized.

“It’s okay.” she spit in the sink and rinsed her mouth out and Will rinsed the sink out. “If I don’t know something, I’ll ask. Or look in the dictionary.”

“Don’t hesitate to ask.” Will told her. She nodded and gave him a smile.

“Thank you. Goodnight, Will. Have a good day at school tomorrow.”

“I’ll try. Goodnight, El.”

* * *

**Friday, November 1, 1985**

“Hello,” a voice interrupted Will’s thought and he flinched, looking up at the source of the voice, “can I sit with you?” the boy asked.

“Um…” Will has gone to this school for three whole days, and this is the first time _anyone_ \- other than the teachers- have spoken to him. “Sure.” The boy sat on the other side of the table, emptying his lunch bags contents out in front of him without a second thought.

“How you doing?” he asked, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

“Uh, good?”

“Good, good. So, you’re new.”

“I am.”

“You’re not very talkative, are you?” Will just shrugged. “Do you want to be friends? I don’t have any either.”

“I have friends. Just… not here. But sure.” Will smiled a little.

“Awesome! I don’t have any friends because I’m a nerd and I talk too much sometimes. Do you like science?” he asked, excited. Will laughed.

“I’m a nerd too. I love science, my friends and I won the science fair a few times.”

“That’s cool! I’ve never participated.”

“Do they still do those in high school, though?” the boy shrugged.

“I don’t know. But if they do, maybe we can do something together?”

“Yeah, definitely. Uh, what’s your name?” Will asked.

“Oh! My apologies, my name is Luis Rodriguez. Nice to meet ya!” he held out a hand for Will to shake. He did, chuckling.

“Will Byers. It’s nice to meet you too.”

* * *

“Mom!” Will yelled as he walked in the house.

“In here!” she called. She and El were sitting at the kitchen table, working on El’s school work.

“Guess what.” he said, grinning, practically bouncing up and down. Joyce raised her eyebrows, surprised. She hadn’t seen her son look this happy or excited since before July.

“What?” she asked, smiling at him.

“I made a new friend today.”

“Really? That’s awesome Sweetie! What’s his name?”

“Luis Rodriguez. He said he’s a Latino or something I think.” he said, dropping his bag on the ground and sitting next to El. “I was just eating lunch and he walked up to the table and asked if he could sit with me and I was like _yeah_ and he sat down and just dumped all of his stuff out of his lunch bag and started talking and talking. He asked if I wanted to be friends and looked happy when I told him I did. He said he didn’t have any either.”

“Wow, he seemed excited! You’re a lovable person, I don’t know how you don’t have more friends.”

“It’s because I’m a nerd.” he shrugged. “And besides, I don’t want a _bunch_ of friends. I’m fine with a small group. It’s less of a betrayal if they hang out without you.”

“You’ve watched too many soaps.” Joyce chuckled. “Becoming a little dramatic, are we?”

“Don’t blame the soaps, blame Mike.”

“Mike watched soaps with me.” El said, grinning. “He quotes them on Cerebro sometimes, and he told me he accidentally said one to his mom.”

“Was it _but I love her mother_?” Will asked. She giggled and shrugged.

“He wouldn’t tell me.”

“I bet it was something like that.” Will snickered.

“Mike is a bit dramatic, with repeating the same sentence in less than ten seconds.” Joyce said.

“When him and Nancy come to visit, I’m totally gonna tease him.” Will grinned.

* * *

**Tuesday, November 26, 1985**

**_Hawkins, Indiana_  
**

Today is the last day of school before Thanksgiving break, meaning it was a half day, and students are let out right before lunch, and Mike was a twitchy little shit, according to Dustin.

“All I’ve felt is your desk shaking next to mine. Would you quit it!” Dustin hissed. They weren’t doing anything in class, just waiting for the bell to ring, and Mike’s leg shaking was moving the desks around him. “You twitchy little shit.” he muttered.

“Sorry.” Mike mumbled. “I’m nervous and excited, okay? Me and Nance are leaving at twelve thirty.”

“I know, I know, you and El are gonna make out the whole time you’re there.” Dustin rolled his eyes. “How about remember Will is there and he’s your best friend, so don’t ignore him over El.”

“I wouldn’t do that!” Mike retorted, narrowing his eyes at Dustin. Dustin raised his eyebrows and he poked Mike’s shoulder.

“You did that all summer, over the rest of us. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t do that, Mike.”

“I… I know, I’m sorry.” Mike mumbled. “I’m not gonna ignore Will, I promise. I do, Dustin, I promise I won’t.”

“You better not, because you know damn well Lucas and I will be checking in now that they have a phone and you won’t be able to hog it to talk to El.” Dustin grinned at him now. Mike rolled his eyes at that and flipped his friend off, and Dustin laughed.

Not long after, the bell finally rang, and Mike damn near sprinted like a bat out of hell out the door, the first one out of the classroom and the door leading to the bike racks.

“Jesus Christ.” Dustin muttered, running after him to catch up. Dustin was the last there, Lucas having been close behind Mike even though his class was closer to the door.

“Dude, slow down. You have thirty minutes or more before you leave. Just ride with us like normal man, we won’t see each other until Monday back at this hell hole.” Lucas huffed. Mike sighed and sat on his bike as he waited for them.

“I’m sorry, I’m excited okay. I miss them and I wanna see who this Louie kid is that Will is friends with.”

“His name is Luis and you, Michael Ronald Wheeler, are jealous as all hell.’ Dustin pointed at him.

“First off, that is _not_ my middle name and you know it, and second, I am _not_ jealous!”

Dustin and Lucas looked at each other and said in unison, “He’s jealous.”

“I’m not!” Mike crossed his arms, glaring at them.

“Mike, the more defensive you get, and look, the more you’re making a fool of yourself. We’re not idiots.” Dustin said.

“It’s because he’s Latino, isn’t it?” Lucas asked. “Because all Latino’s are apparently hot, I wonder if he has a sister.” Lucas rubbed his stubbly chin.

“As if you would date her if he did.” Mike scoffed. Lucas shrugged.

“You never know.”

“I do know. And I’m not jealous. I just don’t want him to be screwing with Will and faking being his friend, you know?” Mike said as the three took off down the street, finally.

“Will can make friends, you know.” Dustin said. “They don’t always have to suck.”

“I know he can and I’m glad he has a friend, but you know how people can be. People are all just giant assholes.”

“Speak for yourself, Frogface.” Troy shoved Mike off his bike as he and James rode past them, and Mike hit the asphalt with a huff, a loud bang, and a swear.

“Goddammit, see what I mean!” he exclaimed, kicking his bike away from him. Dustin and Lucas stopped quickly and got off their own bikes to help him up, and he brushed them off.

“How hard did you hit your face, dude?” Lucas asked. “Your cheek is bleeding.” he poked the spot he was talking about and Mike hissed, smacking his hand away. Lucas wiped the little bit of blood he got on his finger in Mike’s sweater. Mike stared at him for a second.

“Hard. I’m fine, let’s go.” he picked up his bike and they were off again, Mike not speaking as much as before. He and Lucas said goodbye to Dustin as they passed his house, and headed to their own.

“Are you okay, man?” Lucas asked, as they stopped in his driveway. Mike nodded.

“I will be. I’m not gonna let those assholes ruin this for me.”

“Good.” Lucas said, and held out a hand. They did their little handshake. “I’ll see you on Monday. Don’t forget that we’re gonna call, and you gotta call us.” Lucas gave him a pointed look and Mike chuckled, nodding.

“I will. See you Monday.” Mike got off his bike and walked it the rest of the way, putting it in the garage and going in the house.

“Michael! I made you and Nancy lunch before you leave!” Karen called the second he walked in the door. He could have sworn her heard someone whisper “hey” as he walked into the kitchen, but shrugged it off. “Oh my- what happened to your cheek?” she asked immediately, rushing over with a wet rag.

“I’m fine, mom.” he tried to fight her off but she kept at it, poking and wiping at the blood on his cheek. 

“I don’t think it needs stitches, just a bandaid.” she opened a cabinet and grabbed a box of them, taking one out. 

_It’s literally just a scrape, mom, jeez._

“What happened, Mike?” she asked.

“Troy shoved me off my bike.” he replied, shrugging. “I’m fine, though. I don’t really feel it.”

That was a bold face lie. The scrape on his cheek stung like a bitch and the area around it ached, and he knew there would be a bruise in a few hours, but he was fine. He was going to see his girlfriend and best friend. “I’m not gonna let that asshole ruin today for me.” Karen sighed, placing the bandage on his cheek.

“I wish you’d stop that in front of Holly.”

“Sorry.” he muttered. 

“Hi Mikey!” Holly waved at him from her spot in front of the fridge, where she was playing around with some letter magnets. He waved back at her and gave her a smile.

“Where’s Nancy?” Mike asked, sitting at the table where his mom put his food, Nancy’s plate next to his.

“Making sure she’s got everything.” Karen told her son, who nodded. He’d already packed over the weekend, so he knew everything he needed was there. Things he wanted to take to Will and El alike, clothes, magazines, old books, games, etc. 

He ate his food and watched Holly play with her magnets.

“Come look Mikey, I spelled your name!” she said happily, running over and looking up at him. She held a hand out to him and with a chuckle, he took it and let her drag him over to the fridge. 

Well… she wasn’t wrong. It was his name, but spelled like “Mykie”.

* * *

An hour into the drive, Mike couldn’t help but stare at his sister like she was insane. She was blasting “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and dancing in her seat.

“What?” she asked, looking over at him, laughing at the look on his face.

“You’re weird.”

“As if you wouldn’t be dancing to your favorite song like that.” she rolled her eyes.

“No?” he shook his head.

“Sure. What do you want to listen to?” she asked. He shrugged. 

“I don’t care.” he said.

“So if I play a Christmas tape you won’t care?” she asked. He shook his head. “Okay then.” she grinned and looked through her tapes while at a stop light, and started a mixed tape of Christmas songs Jonathan made for her.

That’s how the rest of the ride went, Nancy dancing to her music and trying to get Mike to dance with her, but to no avail. They stopped once to use the bathroom and get a few snacks, and were on the road again. 

They arrived a few minutes after five o’clock, later than they should have, but Thanksgiving traffic is a _bitch._ The siblings were both giddy, just about shaking with anticipation as Mike directed them into the neighborhood where the Byers and El lived now. Three figures were sitting on the front porch of a two story house, huddled together with a thick comforter wrapped around them to shield them from the cold. As Nancy came to a stop, Jonathan, Will and El jumped up, rushing towards the car. The two siblings inside it looked at each other and nearly fell out of the car they got out so fast. Jonathan picked Nancy up and spun her around, both of them laughing, and Will hugged Mike so tight he could hardly breathe, and vice versa. El let them hug first, rocking on her heels for her turn with her boyfriend.

With a sniff, Will let Mike go and Mike immediately pulled El into a kiss, having to lean down more than usual to reach her. She put her hands on either side of his face and kissed back, giving Will and Nancy the best opportunity to gag. Mike pulled away, looking at them in his peripheral because El’s hands were still on his face.

“Shut up.” he said, turning back to El, who smiled at him. Her hair was a little longer, a little more tamed, and she still hadn’t actually gotten taller and he loved it. Still as beautiful as ever.

As for Mike, El noticed, his hair was longer- _why doesn’t my hair grow that fast?-_ he was definitely taller than when she last saw him, but the main thing she noticed was the bandage on his cheek, slightly bruised and eye starting to bruise. She ran her thumb over the bandage. 

“What happened?” she asked.

“I fell off my bike earlier.” he told her. It wasn’t a total lie. “Smacked my face on the road.”

“Ouch.” he chuckled at the response and hugged her. She hugged back, smiling into his jacket, smiling wider when he pulled Will into the hug.

“Jesus Christ, Mike! You’ve gotten taller!” Joyce exclaimed, walking out to join them, hugging Nancy first, and then Mike, once the pair let him go. “Oh Lord, what happened?” she asked, gently holding his cheek.

“He fell off his bike.” Will quipped. “He can’t walk straight with those long spider legs, let alone ride a bike.” he grinned at Mike, who raised his eyebrows.

“William.”

“Michael.”

“I’m gonna beat your ass.” Mike ducked under Joyce’s arm and ran at Will, who shrieked and took off running around the house.

“Mike runs so weird.” Nancy sighed.

“You’ve gotta admit, he is getting tall and lanky-er.” Jonathan said. “He’s taller than me!”

“He is _not_.” Nancy rolled her eyes.

“You just refuse to believe he’s taller than _you_.”

“He puts his chin on top of my head daily, I couldn’t refuse to believe it if I wanted to.” Jonathan laughed and tickled her sides, and she let out a shriek similar to Will’s and scrambled away from her boyfriend, and he chased her into his house.

Joyce and El looked at each other and laughed, linking arms and walking onto the porch, waiting for Mike and Will to come back around. When they did, Mike just about keeled over, bending over with his hands on his knees, breathing hard. He looked up at the two as Will laughed, squinting at them because of the sun.

“I’m not fit for this shit.”

True to his word, Dustin called to make sure Mike wasn’t just spending all his time with El and ignoring Will, whereas El confirmed, telling him about the chase the day he and Nancy arrived.

Over the next four days- they had to leave Sunday afternoon to get back to Hawkins- the Party called and had many chats together over the phone, fighting over who held it, but over all that alone was fun. Mike met the famous Luis the day after Thanksgiving, the boy bright eyed and jittery, reminding him a bit of Dustin.

Of course, at first, he was jealous of how much he made El laugh, but every time El came back over to him and hugged him, just for the hell of it. They hugged a lot those four days, as did Mike and Will.

By Sunday morning, Mike could pretty much call Luis a member of the Party, had he played DnD, but they were definitely friends. Mike did have a bit of an off feeling about him, he couldn’t put his finger on it, but he seemed like a nice, genuine guy so he was happy Will had made a friend, and by extension, El a new friend.

There were a lot of tears and hugs before and after the Wheeler siblings left, promising to call over and over again. El and Will hardly let Mike go, and had it not been for Joyce, would have one hundred percent went back to Hawkins with them. The two didn’t listen to a single song on their way home, both silent in their seats, tears falling and sniffles filling the real silence.

* * *

**Thursday, December 19, 1985**

Max sighed as she sat on the curb in front of the Wheeler's. Yes, the Wheeler's. She didn’t have anywhere else to go- Lucas and Dustin were still pissed at her, even though she apologized to them countless times. She figured Mike would at least let her sit on his porch, under the circumstances. It seemed as though he was the only one that cared about the situation with Neil. At least, he did if that night at the hospital was worth anything.

Everything had been going… okay, all things considered. She had been grounded- by Neil- for who knows how long, blaming her for her step-brothers death. Her mom went along with it, but what else is new? She had to go to school and _straight_ home, every single day, on her bike. 

Once she was kicked out of the party, she started getting up impossibly early to get to school before they did, as she’d rather not ride her bike near them.

She was late getting home today. For the first time, and Neil was waiting, her mom out buying groceries. She talked back to him, couldn’t even remember what was said. All she could remember was the loud _SLAP_ and the stinging pain on her left cheek. She ran out before he could say or do anything else. So, she went straight to the Wheeler's, where there were no cars in the driveway and no bike thrown in the front yard. Meaning no one was home, and it was snowing and freezing cold.

It’s been nearly two months since the Byers and El moved, and she’s only seen them once, when Jonathan brought the two out for a visit while they were on Thanksgiving break. Mike and Nancy drove to Elgin the day before Thanksgiving, and left the day after. El was being officially home schooled with the help of the three Byers, and a tutor from the school that Will had become quick friends with. The Party- and Max, since she wasn’t apart of it _anymore_ \- had all hung out that weekend they came home. El and Will were about the only ones who talked to her, _really_ talked to her, though the three stubborn boys said a few words to her. She tried, she really did, but _God_ boys were such idiots. She can’t help the way she acts- well she can, but she doesn’t _know how_. All she really knows is Neil and Billy, and they definitely aren’t good role models. Max thinks Billy could have been a good one, had it not been for his father.

From what El told them, Billy had an _amazing_ relationship with his mother. When El told him the memory of he and his mother on the beach, that’s what stopped him from killing her. It’s what brought him back, and saved them all. But she left because of Neil, and Neil was _all_ Billy knew. He didn’t have a good father growing up, never had a good one, and according to the books she’s read, a child who only knows abuse and anger, usually turns out the same.

She didn’t want to be like that. She didn’t want to be like Neil, _hell_ she didn’t want to be like her _mother_. She loved her mom, the only good thing in her life right now, but her mom was weak, too scared to stand up to her husband. Max knew she would never do it, even if she saw him slap her own daughter. She’d seen Neil hit his own son too many times, and just looked away.

But damn if she wasn’t headed down the same path as Billy had. Maybe she wasn’t out partying and doing shit she shouldn’t do, maybe she wasn’t being abusive, but she felt like she was out trying to ruin other people's lives and relationships, being mean to people, all because her life sucked, and she wanted to change it. That’s what she was gonna tell Mike, she was gonna explain herself, and he was gonna give _her_ an explanation, and El one too, when they come home for Christmas. She only hoped that he’d listen, because he had the great ability not to.

She sighed, gently rubbing the side of her face with a freezing hand. She wondered if it was still red, or if it had already begun bruising. He’d hit her so hard, she wondered what it was she said to him. She got lost in her head again for a while, only coming out of it when she heard a hoarse yell and the sound of metal clattering on the asphalt. She jumped up and saw Mike down the street, laying in the middle of it, his bike half on top of him. No one was with him, as they’d already dispersed, Lucas going in his house before Mike had left this driveway. Max left her bag where it was and took off towards him, almost wanting to laugh as he swore to himself, kicking the bike away from him.

“Mike, are you okay?” she asked, reaching him. He looked up at her and laid flat on his back.

“Did I hit my head?” he groaned. “I could have sworn you were nowhere near me.” she rolled her eyes and held her hands out to him. With a huff, he let her pull him up.

“Do you _ever_ eat? You’re so skinny. The wind is gonna blow you away one day.” he glared at her, shaking his hair out of his face.

“Yes, I eat. I could eat a whole large pizza if my mom would let me.”

“She needs to let you, then.”

“Tell her that.” he said, picking his bike up, glaring at the godforsaken thing. 

“So, uh, what happened?”

“A tire blew.” he replied. “This is the third time in two months. I’m gonna have to walk to school now.”

“Maybe you _are_ too heavy for it, then.” he huffed and rolled his eyes. “Uh, you can ride with me, if you want.” she offered, cringing at herself. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Uh, maybe. If my parents don’t get it fixed.” she nodded, biting her lip. “Why were you around here, anyways? Aren’t you supposed to go home?” So he _did_ pay attention.

“Yeah, I was kinda sitting on the curb in front of your house. Waiting for you to get home.”

“Who’s the stalker now.” he muttered. “Why?”

“Um.” she hesitated and pointed at her cheek. He stared at her for a solid minute.

“Are you _serious_ ?” he demanded, voice low and dark, startling her slightly. “He _hit_ you?”

“I got home a few minutes late because I couldn’t find the key to my lock on my bike, so I had to pick it. I talked back to him, he slapped me.” she rubbed her cheek again, looking away from him. “I came here because I hoped you’d at least let me sit in front of your house rather than make me go home. Lucas and Dustin sure wouldn’t, they wouldn’t hear me out for shit.”

“They have a good reason not to, Max.” he replied. “And you’re insane. I know I’m an asshole but damn, I’m not that cruel. I let a mysterious girl live with me for a week when I was twelve, why wouldn’t I let you come in?”

“So you’re saying your friends are kinda cruel?” she asked.

“No.” he hissed. “Just stubborn as the devil.”

“And because of how I’ve acted.” she replied to his question then, shrugging.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t exactly act right for a while either. Come on.” she nodded and followed him, grabbing her things and putting them in the garage with his, and followed him into the house.

“Dustin didn’t really say much to me, but the day I got kicked out, Lucas said some not so nice things to me too.” she said as Mike dug through his fridge, tossing a small bag of peas to her.

“Like what?” he asked. 

“He called me controlling. He said that I hurt him over and over when I’d break up with him, because of little things, and that I was absolute shit to you, and that I never thanked you.” she sighed as she placed the peas on her cheek. Mike opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it, “and he’s right. I guess I can be controlling, and I know that I hurt him, and I want to change that. If he’d listen to me, I could explain myself. And I did treat you like shit, and I’m sorry. I should have thanked you for standing up for me like you did. So, thank you for standing up for me like you did.” he chuckled a little at the repeated phrase, and shrugged. “Stop laughing and shrugging at me, Wheeler, this is hard for me to do.” she said, half serious, half joking. He rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Max. Yeah, you treated me like shit, and turned El against me. Pretty much made her break up with me. I know I lied to her, and I apologized for it.” he scratched the back of his neck. “Thanks, I guess? For apologizing and… you’re welcome for _attempting_ to stand up for you.”

“ _Why_ did you lie to her?” Max asked. He bit his lip, sighing.

“Hopper told us something happened with Nana.” he started. “And by the time he dropped me off, he forced me to go along with the lie. He threatened me. I don’t know what I did wrong, Max, because he was totally fine with me being over there for the first few months. Hell, El even took a picture of me and him, and he _actually_ smiled! But he just snapped, and started watching us like a hawk like we were gonna do anything but kiss.” he rolled his eyes at that. “And I know that _I_ was a giant, sarcastic asshole to him the last month or two, so I guess that’s what I did wrong. Anyways, that’s not the point. On the way home, he pretty much told me that if I kept coming over every single day, he wouldn’t let us see each other ever again. And the man is- was- terrifying. I felt like an ant next to him.“ she snorted at that. “So, the next day, when El called me, I told her that Nana was sick and I couldn’t come over. I’m sure she told you all of what I said on the phone.” Max nodded. 

“But at the mall, you should have told her the truth.”

“Don’t talk to me about truth, Max.” he said, but it was harsh. She nodded her head as if saying “good point.” “But I shouldn’t have continued the lie, I know. We were at the mall so I could _buy_ her something and apologize for it, and there was this gold teddy bear at a jewelry store and it was _three hundred dollars_.”

“That’s ridiculous!” she exclaimed. He nodded in agreement.

“And it wasn’t even that big! Honestly, I don’t know what it was for, because it was too big to go on a necklace, but I figured she’d like it. And I only had three dollars and-”

“Fifty cents, yes, I was there.” he glared at her and she grinned. “But I lied, and I apologized. No, I haven’t told her the _exact_ reason why, and that’s because she folds in on herself anytime Hopper is mentioned, and won’t talk for hours.” His expression and tone of voice turned darker as he continued, “Boyfriends don’t always lie. Girlfriends don’t always lie. Friends don’t lie was made because when we were kids, the only thing we had to lie about was accidentally stealing a pencil from someone else.” Max couldn’t help but snort at that, and he rolled his eyes. “Sometimes we have to lie to protect the ones we love. I think El understands that now. So let’s get off the topic of lying, and onto the topic of controlling and manipulating.”

“I was waiting for that.”

“I’m sorry, Max, but you need to know that what you did with El wasn’t okay. You manipulated her into thinking it was okay to spy on us, that boyfriends always lie, that it’s okay to break the rules and make your own rules. Depending on what it is, making your own rules is fine, I don’t care, but she wasn’t supposed to be in public yet and that alone was a big no no for Hopper, and all I cared about- other than the _obvious_ \- was her being safe and without the government on our backs, looking for her. And by taking her to the mall, you risked her freedom, and maybe even her life.”

Mike stopped his rant when he heard her sniffle, looking at her. He’d seen Max cry twice, maybe three times in the year he’s known her, and for some one as strong as her to cry, hurt his heart a little.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to make you cry-”

“Well you did!” she huffed, wiping at her eyes. “And you’re right. You’re right about it all, and if you were gonna say anything about me and Lucas’- now nonexistent- relationship, you’re right. I could have ruined El and in extension, everyone's lives by taking her out. But I hated that she was stuck in that cabin by herself most days, when you’d already left and Hopper was at work. And I know we didn’t actually become friends until July, but I love El like she’s my sister, okay, and she came to me for advice about you, and I didn’t know any better. I thought that what I was telling her was a normal thing, because it’s all I’ve ever known. My mom has _never_ talked to me about anything like this, when it comes to boys. Most of what I know comes from stupid magazines and my own real life experiences. Men lie and do stupid things to hurt women. And good God that bullshit with Nancy and Jonathan at The Hawkins Post? Jonathan was doing the good stuff, and all Nancy was needed for was food, when she was a much better reporter than all those dickheaded men in there.” Mike chuckled at the end, and nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, she’d come home pissed off a lot, talking about how men sucked. And they do, I agree. But I don’t want to be like that, I want everyone to be equal, you know? Men and women can do the same damn thing, and women even better most of the time.”

“That was the smartest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

“And I know that’s all you know. I can tell, you didn’t have to tell me that. I’m sorry but your family is actual shit.” she nodded. “Do what I’m _trying_ to do, and learn from your parents’ mistakes. Watch and learn, take in what they do to their husband or wife, or friends, and do the exact damn opposite.”

“I want to, but it’s hard. I don’t want to be weak like my mom, and I don’t want to be a whole ass dick like Neil, but I’m both. Maybe not as bad as Neil, but I’m turning out like him. Manipulating and horrible.”

“Hold on.” Mike held up a hand. “First off, you’re _not_ weak. You’re a badass. And you’re not even close to being like Neil. You don’t just toss people around, hitting them and saying horrible things to them.”

“I’ve said some horrible things in my life, Mike.”

“Okay, and? So have I. No one’s perfect, certainly not in this shitty little town.” he went to the freezer and opened it again, digging around until he came out with a large frozen pizza. “I don’t know how or why I’ve been given a second chance and forgiven for how I acted last year, but if I deserve a second chance, then so do you. How about I put this in the oven, we go to the basement and set up the TV with Ghostbusters and bribe Dustin and Lucas to come over so we can all talk?”

“Bribe them with pizza or Ghostbusters?” she asked.

“Both,” he replied, turning the oven on and digging a pan out of a cabinet. “There’s drinks in the fridge if you want something.” he told her, and made his way down to the basement to call Dustin and Lucas.

Twenty minutes later, the two friends just waltzed right into the Wheeler’s house, Dustin yelling, “Who’s the code mustard?” 

“Did you really just call it code mustard?” Lucas asked, making a face. Dustin nodded.

“Yes. Mustard is yellow. Code yellow is mustard.”

“Okay. Mike?” Lucas called.

“Basement!” Mike yelled.

“I smell the pizza.” Dustin grinned and ran towards the basement door. Lucas rolled his eyes and followed. “What the hell?” Dustin asked, stopping at the bottom and looking at Max. Lucas stopped behind him and did the same thing.  
  
“Nope.” he turned around and started back up the stairs but Mike reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him back down. “Where the _hell_ did you just come from?”

“Beside the stairs.” Mike replied. “You two, sit. And be nice.” 

With matching groans, the two sat on the couch. Max was sitting in an armchair, hands in her lap and staring at the blank TV.

“You’re code mustard?” Dustin asked after a few seconds. Mike plopped down on the couch between he and Lucas and rolled his eyes.

“You called it code _mustard_?” Max asked Mike, who shook his head.

“Dustin’s just an idiot. Ignore him. Code yellow is pretty much a step down from code red. Someone’s gotten hurt.”

“Oh.”

“You’re hurt?” Lucas asked. She shrugged at that.

“Do you want me to tell them or do you?” Mike asked her. Max shrugged again. He sighed and glanced at his two friends. “Max was late getting home from school. Words were said, and Neil slapped her.”

“WHAT?” Lucas shrieked and Max flinched. “I swear to God I’m gonna beat the shit out of that no good, crackhead looking ass bitch with my bare hands-”

“He doesn’t look like a crackhead though?” Dustin said.

“Just let him be.” Mike said, shaking his head.

“You can not and will not go back in that house, I won’t let you. I’ll chain you in Mike’s basement before I let you go back around that abusive asshole.”

“Kinky.” Max muttered. “Sorry.”

“When my mom gets home, I’ll try and explain what happened and see if we can figure something out.” 

* * *

**Sorry Thanksgiving ended so quickly, I wanted to hurry up and get the chapter out because I’m very excited to start the next one! There’s gonna be lots of flashback type of scenes, fast forwards, shit like that, the timeline is gonna be very weird compared to my usual stuff, but it needs to be done. You’ll see what I mean. Different POV’s as well.**

**I was going to write Christmas too, but because it’s taken me so long just to get this out, I’m gonna skip over it, but here’s a few lil details**

  * ****The Byers and El come back to Hawkins and stay at Steve’s house because, of course, his parents won’t be home.****


  * **The Party is officially reunited, all six together and friends after what happened with Max and all.**


  * **Mike finished a campaign and it took like three days to finish it**


  * **El makes her first Gingerbread house and it’s better than everyone except Will’s, it’s pretty equal for the two**


  * **Mileven kiss under every single mistletoe they can find- it’s a LOT**


  * **They all just spend a lot of time together and the Byers and El spent half the day with the Wheeler’s on Christmas day, the other half just the Party watching Christmas movies, eating sweets and drinking hot chocolate in Mike’s basement**


  * **All around it’s a good time and is very emotional when it’s time to go back to Elgin**




	3. Chapter Three: Faith is the Only Way to Survive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure y’all read the lil A/N at the end! Only reason it’s not up here is because it contains spoilers for the chapter!!
> 
> Also these are not going to be as long as I planned, but I hope you guys still like it!
> 
> We have a few little snippets from Christmas in this chapter, actually, one where Hopper finds out a secret.

**Thursday, July 4, 1985**

**_The Upside Down_ **

He was cold. That’s the first thing he noticed. He was cold, and he was shivering. 

The second thing he noticed was the noises. The chattering of his teeth. The wail of winds, the screeches of monsters, something that almost sounded like a wolf howl.

The third thing he noticed, when he finally opened his eyes, was that he was not underneath the Star Court Mall anymore. He was on the edge of the woods by the middle school. He didn’t know how he got here from where the gate under the mall was, but he wasn’t gonna complain.

The last thing he noticed, was the fact that he was in the Upside Down. Alone. The gate was closed, and he was trapped with no way out.

Hopper bit back a groan as he sat up, looking around. Looking at the middle school gym, all he saw was a sad, run down version of itself. One of the doors was hanging off its hinges, vines took up most of it, weaving in and around the walls of the building.

“What in the _hell_ … was I thinking?”

In the distance, he heard a loud screech and scrambled up. He darted towards the gym doors, barely stopping to look and see if there was anything inside, and pulled the hanging door closed as much as he could.

Taking heaving breaths, Hopper turned around, his back to the door, only to find a somewhat normal gym. He expected the inside to be just as viney and disgusting as the outside, but he was wrong. It was dusty, as if it had only been abandoned rather than in a completely different dimension. Not much light shown through the broken windows, but what did definitely helped.

Had the Upside Down not been perpetually stuck in darkness, it’d be a lot easier to see inside. Those blue mats that kids had to use to do push ups or sit ups were stacked on top of each other in a corner, other gym equipment scattered around the floor and in the bleachers.

“You weren’t thinking, dumbass.” he muttered to himself. “It was either this or death. Everyone probably thinks you’re dead anyways.”

He slid against the wall until he hit the floor.

El will think he’s dead. That was the last thing she needed. She had nowhere to go, the cabin destroyed… she definitely wasn’t going to that Wheeler boy’s house, he knew Karen and Ted wouldn’t allow that. The only reasonable person would be Joyce…

Joyce. Joyce Byers, Joy, _his_ Joy. She asked him out on a date. A _real_ date, and he fucked it up by jumping in here, where he’d probably die anyways. That’s where El would probably go. But… Joyce was moving. He didn’t know where, he just knew she was moving soon, and he couldn’t stop her. That would mean El would probably go with her. She’d have to, there’d be no other way.

“You _idiot_ .” he smacked himself in the forehead a few times and buried his face in his hands, letting out a muffled, angry scream. “God _dammit_ Jim. What have you done?”  
  
A week later, Hopper had yet to come in contact with any monsters. It was like they were here, but weren’t. He could hear them, but couldn’t see them. So, he went exploring. He’d found a box of matches in the storage room of the gym, and had been able to make a fire. He had no idea how it worked here, as cold and damp as it is, but it did. It worked.

But he needed clothes, water and food. He’d explored around the school until he found the cafeteria, and food that was in the fridge and freezers were somehow not rotted or moldy, but stranger things have happened. It would last him a couple weeks at most, as it was enough for a hundred kids a day for a week, probably, but schools don’t give kids much at lunch, and he had to eat a lot if he wanted to fill himself up any. So he had to find more if he wanted to survive. 

He found some more clothes in a few houses near the school, along with food and other things in freezers and fridges. The only thing good from fridges, though, were water bottles and drinks- besides milk, at least. He’d found some canned food and took it with him back to the gym with every trip. 

Anything hung up on a hanger was pretty decent, but anything on the floor or folded up in drawers was dirty and covered in vines. It didn’t stop him from taking a pocket knife he found and cutting the vines and taking socks and underwear, deciding to wash them himself once he found a good water supply.

That water supply was at the pond where his old trailer sat. It didn’t really have anything left in it in the real world, so he didn’t bother going inside it. The water was definitely nowhere near being freshwater, so he filled up water bottles upon water bottles with it and took it back to the gym. He used a pot to boil the water until it was good enough to drink. It took a while, but it worked, and he made a decent supply of it, every other day going to the pond and back and adding to it so he didn’t run out.

* * *

**Monday, October 14, 1985**

**_Kamchatka, Russia_ **

He smiled as he heard his door begin to unlock, and he stood, leaning against the back wall. He put his hands up as he spoke Russian to them, the second the door opened.

“Friends, I know you have a creature.” he stated calmly. “I recognize the shrieks.”

“We are not your friends, Martin Brenner.” the leader said. “You are to be fed to the creature, whether you tell the truth or lie.” 

Two other guards grabbed Brenner by the arms and hauled him out of the cell.

“I know how to get more for you. I know where the creature’s are located.”

“Why should I believe you?” the leader asked.

“Because… my daughter created them. Created the world with them in it. She can and she will make more if I ask her to.”  
“What is your daughter’s name?”

“El. Short for Eleven.”

Three days later, on October seventeenth, Brenner sat at the head of a table with Russian guards all around him, four men at the table with him, dressed in a suit and tie, a glass of wine and a well prepared meal in front of him.

“Your daughter, how does she create the world?” Bogdan asked.

“She has what is called Telekinesis. She can move things with her mind, can open portals into other worlds, visit a space in her mind.”

“You lie!” a man at the end smacked his fists against the table.

“Oh shut it, Cheslav.” another man, Karp, grumbled.

“Let the man talk.” another said.

“Thank you, Fabiyan.” Brenner nodded towards him. “What I speak is true. And my daughter can control them, I’ve seen her do it myself. It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen her, though. I miss her.”

“A father will always love his daughter. “ Bodgan said, holding his glass up. The rest of the men followed suit and they clinked glasses. “We will help you find your daughter. If you help us open a portal into the other world.”

“Of course.” Brenner smiled. “Anything you want, I’ll help you with.”

They began to come up with a plan, Brenner telling them that the creature could only open a portal to it’s home if it was well fed, and strong. That wasn’t the case, he didn’t know if that would work or not, but he had faith in the creature, and faith that he’d see his beloved daughter again.

* * *

**Tuesday, November 26, 1985**

**_The Upside Down_ **

That’s how it went for the next four months, give or take a few days. He’d go house to house to find food, and would come back with a few days amount. He’d lost weight in those four months, but gained some of it back in muscle. He worked out to keep his mind off things, and he was in a gym, after all. He fixed all the windows, and the doors, making sure it was harder for monsters to get inside of. He knew that if they wanted to get inside, they would.

He’d definitely seen monsters prowling about in the four months he was in the Upside Down. Baby Demogorgons, others he’d never seen. What looked like small versions of what El and the kids fought inside the mall. El had described to him what it looked like, before the battle really began. There was one that really had his nerves on fire. A spider, with hundreds of teeth, eyes that can see every movement, jaws that can snap a deer right in half.

Yep, there were deer in the upside down. There were other animals, too. Rabbits, bugs, foxes, turtles, frogs, etc. All were deformed, though, he guessed from the air. They were a good food source, though, the rabbits and deer. He’d managed to get a deer one day. It was injured and couldn’t walk. He felt bad, but put it out of its misery and was able to eat off it for a week and a half. He usually stuck to rabbits and ducks when they got stuck in the vines, which happened fairly often.

Nothing had actually bothered him. It’s like they didn’t know he was there, but they had to have. They more or less just passed through during the night (which was very hard to figure out the day and night cycle, but he got it) and during the day, nothing was around but the animals. They all went the same way, none ever coming back. It's like the were grouping up in a certain area, and the more he thought about it, the more he figured out. They were gathering at or near the lab. But was he gonna go and investigate why? Nope.

Hopper thought he felt alone, all those months before El, but now? He really was. He missed her. He missed Joyce. Hell, he even missed Wheeler and his little gang of friends. He doesn’t really talk, he doesn’t have a reason to, unless he’s swearing at something he dropped or knocked over.

There were days where he just laid around, thinking about what El was doing. He’s sure she’s with Joyce, and he’s sure they’ve been out of Hawkins for a while, because the house here was empty, so that one had to be empty too.

It wasn’t until two days before Thanksgiving that he heard another voice for the first time. He’d gone all the way out to the Wheeler’s house, and was searching through the garage when he heard a faint bang and then,

“Michael! I made you and Nancy lunch before you leave!”

Karen’s voice. It was very faint, he could barely make it out, but... Maybe if he yells loud enough, someone would hear him.

“Hey!” he yelled. Nothing. They couldn’t hear him. He walked inside the house, empty other than vines and things everywhere. He could faintly hear them, but they couldn’t hear him. He heard their whole conversation and grumbled to himself about the Troy kid. He didn’t like him a bit. Hopper stayed there overnight, listening to them. He heard Karen and Holly tell the older siblings goodbye, and when the three remaining Wheeler’s headed to bed, Hopper made his way over to the fridge, to the magnets.

He’d never heard anyone on the other side before… why now?

All of a sudden, he had a thought. If Will could communicate with the lights… maybe Hopper could communicate with something. Lights wouldn’t work, the Wheeler’s didn’t know anything about it, so they’d just think the power was acting up. So, he did the next best thing.

He moved the magnets.

And on the other side of “Upside Down” Hawkins, a portal began to open.

* * *

**Wednesday, November 27, 1985**

**_Hawkins_ **

“Mommy! Someone said hi to me!” Holly said excitedly.

“They did? Where?”

“On the fridge! They said _Hi Holly_ with my magnets.”

“That’s weird, I wonder who it was?” she asked. Karen nor Ted messed with the magnets, and Mike and Nancy had been gone a day already. “It was probably Mike, before he and your sister left.”

“No, they weren’t like that yesterday.” she replied, crossing her arms. “It was someone else.”

“Who could it have been, Holly?” Karen asked. Holly shrugged.

“I don’t know. But it wasn’t Mikey.”

She left her mom standing there to go play in the living room, and Karen sighed. It was probably just an imaginary friend.

* * *

Hopper sighed. His little trick worked, but also didn’t. Maybe when Mike got back home he’d try again.

And he did, but it seemed the kid was either blind, or the trick didn’t work a second, fourth, or tenth time. He tried everyday, though. He ventured out to get more food or water, and to hunt, and went to the Wheeler’s house and tried to get Mike’s attention. Nothing ever happened, so he just listened and listened.

He didn’t know about the small portals being opened, or the men coming inside and going through another portal into Hawkins lab. No monsters made it known that they knew it opened. He didn’t know it opened and that there was a way out until February twelfth, nineteen eighty-six, in the middle of the night, but that’s still a ways away.

Feeding the creature worked wonders, and a little over a month later, Brenner was back in Hawkins lab. It was horribly run down, no power, but he was there. He was closer to Eleven.

“Don’t worry about power.” Fabiyan told him. “We will figure it out. Let’s plan.”

The creature was to stay in it’s home for now, to breed, as Brenner said. The more creatures the better, especially the young.

“We only ever captured one, and it’s dead, I believe. It was trying to kill my daughter’s friends, and she protected them.”

“It attacked you, too, didn’t it?” Bogdan asked.

“It did, yes. An accident.” Brenner reached up and ran his fingers over the rough scars on his face. “Blood attracts it, and I was bleeding. It was instinct.”

“So if I bleed right now, it will come for me?” Cheslav asked.

“Probably.” Brenner replied. “Her nose bleeds when she uses her powers, so if she’s not careful it could hurt her too.” he says as if she has complete control over them. Nothing controls them.

Well, one thing does. But he doesn’t know that.

* * *

**Friday, January 10, 1986**

**_The Wheeler's/The Upside Down_ **

Hopper heard about everything that happened with Max and her step-dad, and it made his blood boil. If he could, he’d get that kid away from all that bull shit and take her in as if she were his own. And he made a promise to get out of this place, one way or another, to help her.

Hopper never really believed in faith, after his daughter. Then El came along. And now, he wasn’t gonna lose faith that he’d see her again. He would make sure of it.

Joyce, El, Will and Jonathan came back to Hawkins for Christmas and New Years. It hurt, a lot, hearing them, but not being there and seeing them. He heard El’s contagious laughter, he grew angry when he heard Sinclair and Henderson making kissy sounds at his daughter and her boyfriend every time they were under the mistletoe at the Wheeler’s house, which happened quite often.

But he was happy that they were happy. He’d never heard her laugh so hard. He spent his time listening, humming to himself Christmas songs he heard them playing, though it was faint.

“Do you hear that?” Mike asked one time, when it was just he and El in his room during Christmas break. Even in the Upside Down, Hopper could tell the door was open three inches.

“What?” El asked.

“Sounds like someone humming.”

Hoppers eyes widened.

“Wheeler, can you hear me?”

“Someone just said something!”

“I didn’t hear anything.” El said, confusion in her voice.

“I swear I just heard something.”

“Well who did it sound like?”

“It was… a deep voice. I don’t know what they said.”

“It was probably your dad talking in his sleep again.” she said. “He is right below us in his chair.” 

Mike sighed. “You’re right, I guess. I swear I hear a man's voice sometimes.”

Maybe they could hear him, but it was faint? He’d yell until he couldn’t anymore, but no one made any indication that they understood him, or knew it was him.

“You know, Holly’s magnets have been moving around on their own.”

A spark of hope flashed through Hopper.

“I think my house is haunted.”

_Goddammit, Wheeler._

El laughed at her boyfriend and shook her head. “Are we in A Christmas Carol now?”

“We might be!” Mike said. “It wouldn’t be the craziest thing that's happened.”

“True.” El chuckled.

They talked for a few more minutes, voices slowly growing quieter until Hopper couldn’t hear them. They’d fallen asleep.

Deciding to roam around some, Hopper left the room and walked down the hall. He paused at Nancy’s room, where he heard their hushed whispers through the door. There were some areas louder than the other.

“What are we supposed to do, Jonathan?” Nancy asked.

“I-I don’t know, Nancy.”

“Do we keep it? Put it up for adoption? I can’t kill it, I just can’t.”

Hopper’s eyes widened. Nancy was pregnant.

“I mean… I kinda want to. Keep it, I mean.”

“I do too, I think… My parents are gonna kill me.” she let out a frustrated groan. 

The Wheeler’s would definitely be pissed, because it ruined their perfect look, but the one they’ve gotta worry about is Michael Wheeler. He may not have the best relationship with his sister, but he’s protective of both of them, and Hopper has a feeling that it won’t end well for anyone when he finds out.

“Someone’s gonna get punched.” he muttered, walking down the hall and to the stairs.

He decided to go to Harrington’s house, where Joyce and the kids were staying while in Hawkins, and see what they were up to.

* * *

**Tuesday, January 28, 1986**

**_Melvald's_ **

“We’ve been working here how long now?” Robin huffed, crossing her arms at her best friend. Steve stared at her for a few seconds, box in his arms.

“Like three months.”

“Exactly, you should know where most of the stuff goes, dipshit. All that goes on aisle 7.” she told him, pointing.

“Ah, I knew that.” he turned and made his way to the aisle. 

“Jesus.” she sighed, shaking her head. He was such an idiot, but she loved him. She heard the bell go and turned around, putting a smile on her face, only to find the one and only Erica Sinclair and Dustin Henderson grinning at her. “Oh God, what do you two want?”

“I’m here to get stamps and find something for my girlfriend for Valentine’s day.” Dustin said.

“Uh huh, and why are you here, Missy?” she turned to Erica, who smirked.

“To make sure this idiot doesn’t spend all our candy money on his girlfriend.” she replied.

“Good decision.”

“Where’s Steve?” Dustin asked.

“Henderson! Get your ass back here and help me!” Steve yelled.

“Are you gonna pay me?” Dustin asked, following Steve’s voice.

“Duh.”

“That doesn’t mean you still get to use all our candy money, Doofus!” Erica called to him.

“Yeah, yeah!” he yelled back. She rolled her eyes at him and turned, hopping up on the counter next to where Robin was standing.

“You know you’re not supposed to do that.”

“Mhm.” she replied, grabbing a magazine and beginning to look through it. Robin chuckled and turned around to stock up on cigarettes behind the register.

Dustin and Erica were both good helpers, albeit annoying at times, but they somehow convinced customers to buy things they didn’t need, racking up more money for the store than Steve and Robin had. They got their share of money, though. Neither were old enough to work, but Mr. Melvald added a little extra to Robin and Steve’s checks to give to the two, promising them both a job when they were old enough. Dustin had a year and a half, since he didn’t turn fifteen until September, and you had to be sixteen or older to work. Erica had five years, having celebrated her eleventh birthday in December.

“Ugh, this job is exhausting.” Erica said as Steve and Robin began to close the store. 

“You don’t do half of what we do, Erica.” Dustin said.

“Neither do you, shithead.” Steve smacked him on the back of the head. Dustin just shushed him. “I’m assuming all three of you need a ride home?” 

“Duh.” Erica said, as Dustin said,

“When don’t we?”

“Good point, but that doesn’t mean you can be sarcastic little assholes all the time.” Steve huffed, grabbing his keys. Robin just laughed and followed them out the door, locking it up behind her.

In the Upside Down, Hopper shook his head. It was one of his favorite things to do during the day, listen in on the four acting like idiots, though he did hear many meaningful conversations, some he shouldn’t have heard. He voiced his opinions, even though they couldn’t hear him.

The Robin kid had thought someone came in the store one day, when Hopper said something particularly loud, but went back to the conversation as if nothing happened.

* * *

**Tuesday, February 11, 1986**

The lab now was up and running again one hundred percent, and ready to have the new Demogorgon’s reopen the gate. Though, everything was taking place down in the basement, since if the lab itself was up and running again, it would immediately cause suspicion to the small town and it’s little superheroes.

Starting off, they had small glass containers that held many slugs, tiny, gross sounds coming from them as they grew and grew over the last few weeks, now too big and too mean to stay together. They had to put them in their own cages, fully grown now and just itching to get out.

“I thought it was your daughter who could create them.” Cheslav said to Brenner that day. Brenner crossed his arms.

“I believed she was the only one who could, but they breed like other animals, albeit much faster, it seems. She created the world and the species, and any other creature inside it, she can control it all once we find her. Any luck?” he turned to Karp, who shook his head.

“We’ve looked all over town for your daughter. We found some friends in a store, and heard them talking about where she used to live, with a man named Hopper, who died last July. We found the place, and found a picture of her and that boy.” Karp took the picture out of his pocket and gave it to Brenner,

“Ah yes, Michael Wheeler.” Brenner smirked. “I’m sure he knows where she is.”

* * *

**How we feeling?**

**I’m sure none of this shit could happen in the real Upside Down on the show, but this is fanfiction so anything could happen! I’m treating this as an apocalypse world type of thing, with food, water, clothes, etc. You know what I mean. Hopper’s gonna be here a while, so he’s got to adapt and find a way to live.**

**Next chapter takes place in the real world, and we see some of the moments above in full :D** ****

**P.S. Yes I'm aware Brenner isn't El's bio dad, he's not in this story, he's just a creep lmao**


	4. Chapter Four: The Case of the Moving Magnets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, we have a few of the more important bits throughout the beginning of the new year, and some back story on our friend Luis!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I meant to mention it in the last chapter, but Mike did talk to his mom about Max but Karen wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. It would have been figured out instantly had Hopper been there.
> 
> Props to whoever gets the “Supernatural” quote ;D 
> 
> What do you guys think El’s dream is all about? 
> 
> After this chapter we are finally, one hundred percent, getting on with the story, no flashbacks, nothing. We start off where we stopped and go from there, this story spanning over only a few days. I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Also, feel free to comment! It'd be greatly appreciated!
> 
> Seriously, pls lmk what you think I'd probably update faster cause I'm very negative towards my writing lmfao. Knowing y'all are enjoying it makes me wanna get shit out faster, ya know?

**Thursday, December 26, 1985  
**

_**Hawkins,** _ **_Indiana_ **

“Jon.” Nancy whispered, nudging at her boyfriend. He turned his gaze away from Steve and Dustin fighting to his girlfriend, who had a crease in her brow.

“What is it?” he asked quietly.

“Come with me.” she stood carefully and went up to her room. No one was paying them any attention so he got up and followed her. She was sitting on her bed when he arrived, and she just pointed at the door, signaling for him to shut it. 

“Nance-?”

“I’m pregnant.” she blurted, covering her mouth immediately after. He stared at her for a few seconds.

“You’re… pregnant.” he repeated.

“Yeah. I took a test last night.”

“So… that’s why you were acting weird today.”

“Yeah.” she paused for a moment. “I already made a doctors appointment, for tomorrow. It’s like thirty minutes out of Hawkins. Will you go with me?” she asked.

“Oh- Of course! Of course, Nancy,” he gave her a smile. “No matter what happens, it’ll be alright, okay?”

* * *

**Friday, December 27, 1985**

“Nine weeks, huh?” Jonathan muttered as he and Nancy sat on her bed, having just gotten back from the doctor. 

“The night before you guys left.” she said. That was the last time they’d done anything, having had too many people around any other time they were together. “What are we supposed to do, Jonathan?” Nancy asked.

“I-I don’t know, Nancy.”

“Do we keep it? Put it up for adoption? I can’t kill it, I just can’t.”

“I mean… I kinda want to. Keep it, I mean.”

“I do too, I think… My parents are gonna kill me.” she let out a frustrated groan and fell back on the bed.

“Well… I don’t know how your parents are going to act, I know they won’t be happy and neither will my mom… but I know my mom will support us in whatever we decide to do.”

* * *

**Tuesday, January 7, 1986**

**_Elgin, Illinois_ **

See, the thing about Luis Rodriguez is he’s a nerd, a loser with only one friend, another loser. So, he gets bullied. No one really bothers his friend because he’s new, and hasn’t exactly done anything to draw attention to him but Luis? Oh boy, he’s got a loud mouth that gets him in trouble often, and not just with his teachers.

And that’s how he finds himself running down the hall from three football players on the second day back from break. He ran his mouth and now they were chasing him, yelling about how fun it was going to be stuffing him in a locker.

_Ha! Jokes on you fuckers, you won’t get me this time! Or any time, come to think of it! Haha!_

He ran straight to the stairwell at the end of the hall, darting into the shadows and popping into his little safe haven, lovingly titled by him, the Nerd Room.

And in that Nerd Room, was Luis’ best, and only friend Will, who had a book hanging limply in his hands, eyes wide and staring at him.

“What the f-”

“Let me explain, it’s not what it looks like-”

“You just appeared out of thin air!” Will exclaimed, pointing at him. “What the hell, Luis?”

“What? No I didn’t! I’ve totally been there the whole time dude, I was waiting to scare you.”

“Luis, you’re too loud to even try and scare me, you were not there a second ago. I’m not an idiot.”

“I didn’t call you an idiot.”

“Luis.”

“Fine.”

Luis sat down with a huff and Will turned to face him.

“What I just did was shadow walk, it’s what my ma calls it.” Will stared at him with an eyebrow raised. “I can teleport, but only using shadows. Shadow to shadow, you know?”

“Okay… your mom, does she have powers too?”

“No. My dad did, but he died before I was born.”

“Huh.” Will put the book on the table.

“You don’t sound freaked out.”

“Oh I am. But you will not believe the things I’ve seen.”

* * *

“That really happened?” Luis asked as he and Will rode their bikes to Will’s house.

“Yep. It sounds crazy, I know.” Will chuckled. “And El does have powers, but… something happened in July and they’re not working. We think she just has to recharge but it’s been six months since then.”

“Maybe it’s because she doesn’t need them anymore?” Luis suggested. “Like her work there is done, and she can be normal.”

“The way she grew up… wasn’t good. She was raised in a lab and tested on, with other people with powers. Experiments. She was Experiment Eleven. That’s how we got the nickname El.”

“Wow…”

“Yeah. But that’s all she knew, growing up, was her powers, and then when she met us… that wasn’t all she knew anymore, but she was based around them, they were normal for her. And now that they’re gone, she doesn’t really know how to act.”

* * *

El was reading a magazine in her room, waiting for Will to get home so they could watch a movie, when she found a quote in one of the later pages, that said, _“I let this presence ruin my life. And it was my fault, I created that presence, you know? Like in my head. And I couldn’t do anything about it until I confronted my own emotions and did away with it myself.”_

“Huh.” she raised her eyebrows, reading it a few more times. She didn’t know what, but it did something to her, something clicked in her head, she buzzed with energy, and a light bulb exploded over her head. She let out a shriek and covered her head with the magazine.

“El!” Will yelled, running into the room, Luis following behind him. “What happened?” he helped her up carefully, avoiding the glass.

“I, um…” she widened her eyes at him and looked up at what remained of the light bulb.

“You did that with your powers?” Will asked. She startled, looking at him in shock and then back at Luis in horror.

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. I have powers too.” Luis told her. “That’s why he told me, he caught me using them today.”

“Oh.”

“But El! Your powers?” Will rocked up and down on his heels. “What were you doing?” he asked.

“I was just on my bed reading the magazine.” she replied, and flipped to the page the quote was on. “I read this a couple times and then the light exploded.”

“Are you gonna tell Mike? Or anyone in the party?”

“I don’t… I don’t know? Because it might not have been real.” she bit her lip.

“What, you think _that_ was faulty wiring? Honey no that was some supernatural typa shit.” Luis said, raising an eyebrow. El furrowed hers at him at the use of honey.

“Um, okay. Should I try and do something else?” she asked. “Just to see?”

“Yeah! Try and pick that pencil up.” Will pointed at her desk.

Luis looked so excited as she held her hand out towards the pencil. She didn’t want to disappoint, so… she focused all her energy on the pencil and after a few seconds, it began to shake, and then lifted into the air. She dropped it suddenly and let out a squeal, looking at Will, who grinned at her. She clapped her hands and Luis had to sit down. Will snorted at him.

El felt something trickling out of her nose and wiped it with her hand, and groaned.

“We’re back to this bullshit now?” she whined. Will busted out laughing at that. El rarely ever swore, but when she did, he found it hilarious. She couldn’t help but laugh too, Luis joining in with his loud, cackling laugh.

“I love you guys.” he giggled, holding his arms out to them, and the three stood there laughing and hugging, confusing Jonathan when he walked in, but neither young teen would tell him what was so funny.

* * *

**_Hawkins, Indiana_ **

“Who keeps putting my name on the fridge?” Mike asked during dinner that night.

“I don’t bother those things.” Ted said, taking a bite of steak.

“Me neither.” Nancy said, pushing her food around a bit.

“My friend!” Holly smiled.

“Her imaginary friend.” Karen corrected, giving her son a smile.

“No they’re real! I saw them moving the magnets!”

“You saw a person?” Mike asked.

“No. I saw the magnets move.” she replied. Mike furrowed his brows and looked at his mom, who shook her head at him.

“Huh.” he didn’t say anything else about it.

* * *

**Saturday, January 11, 1986**

El jerked awake, body freezing head to toe as she came to. She was completely under the blankets, even her head, and she was curled up into a ball, tear tracks on her cheeks. Heartbreaking words from someone she loved, right on the edge of her tongue, but she couldn’t remember who.

_“Would you let the world die, so that I can live?”_

“What the…” she muttered, sitting up and wrapping the blanket around her, eyebrows furrowed. She leaned over and looked at the clock on her bedside table. Four seventeen in the morning. She let out a low huff and untangled herself from the blankets and stood, stretching. She grabbed a note pad off her desk and wrote down what she remembered from the dream, wanting to tell Will about it later when everyone was awake. She went to the bathroom and did her business, and washed her hands. She looked at herself and despite still feeling cold, she looked like her usual self after waking up. Eyes half open, eyebrow hairs sticking up all wonky, her hair all over the place, dried blood running down her lip- wait, that wasn’t usual. She flicked on the light and rubbed at her nose. It had been there a while. She grabbed a washcloth and ran it under the water, and cleaned the blood from her nose.

Had she used her powers during the night and not realized? Had she ever done that before? Well, she wouldn’t know, she was asleep after all. She just shrugged it off and threw the washcloth in the wastebasket and went back to bed, wrapping herself up into a cocoon and falling asleep fairly easily.

She didn’t wake up again until around ten AM, when two boys jumped on top of her, scaring her so badly she nearly threw them across the room. And she would have, had she not been used to it by now. She let out a groan and sat up.

“Wow. You look like shit.” Luis said, resting his chin on his hands as if she were telling an interesting story, crossing his ankles in the air.

“Thanks.” she croaked.

“Uh oh, you’re sick, aren’t you?” Will asked, feeling her forehead with the back of his hand. “You’re warm.”

“I’m cold.” she retorted, wrapping her blanket around her. He snorted.

“Do you feel bad?” he asked.

“I don’t feel great. I’m cold.” she repeated.

“I’ll go tell mom and see if we have any medicine. I think you might have a fever.” El nodded and fell back onto her pillows. Luis hopped up and followed his friend, claiming he didn’t want El’s germs.

A few minutes later Joyce came back into her room, the boys following close behind.

“Hey sweetie, you feeling bad?” she asked, sitting on the bed next to her. El nodded. “What’s bothering you?”

“My throat hurts.” she said. “And nose feels weird.”

“Ah, okay, have you coughed a lot?” Joyce asked. El shrugged.

“Not since I woke up.”

“Okay well, we’ve got some medicine but it’s liquid and I know you don’t like liquid, but it’ll work better, m’kay?” El scrunched her nose up but agreed as her adoptive mother handed her a medicine cup and a cup of pepsi to help with the taste.

After taking the medicine, they left her alone to rest for a while, and while she was alone, she grabbed the phone beside her bed and dialed the familiar number.

“Hello?” came Ted Wheeler’s voice.

“Hi Mr. Wheeler, is Mike there?” she asked.

“Hold on.” he said, and she distantly heard him yelling at Mike to pick up the phone. Only a second later she heard him pick up the phone in the basement, and his dad put the kitchen phone down.

“Hello?” Mike asked.

“Hi Mike.” El croaked.

“El! Hey, it’s early for you.” he joked. She chuckled.

“It’s ten thirty.” she said. “Will and Luis jumped on me again.”

“Wow, rude.” he said, amused.

“Sure.” she replied dryly and he laughed.

“You don’t sound like you feel good, are you okay?” he asked, voice turning to worry.

“Yes, just a cold.” she told him. That’s what Joyce had told her, so she was going along with it. 

“When did you start feeling it? You sounded okay last night.”

“Sometime this morning. I had a… weird? Dream earlier. At four this morning.”

“Do you remember what it was about?” he asked.

“I don’t… I don’t think so. Something bad happened and… I just remember this one thing they said.”

“What was it? You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.”

“I wrote it down. They said “would you let the world die, so that I can live?””

“Huh, that sounds kinda… sad honestly. Like from some dramatic movie or TV show or something. Would you let the world die, so that I can live? Sounds like a soap opera line to me.” he chuckled.

El wouldn’t lie, when Mike delivered the line she had dreamt, a chill ran down her spine and her breath caught in her throat. She started coughing, moving the phone away from her but he could hear Mike asking if she was okay.

“I’m okay.” she told him finally. “Had a tickle in my throat.”

“Oh, I get those a lot when I’m sick too.” he told her.

“It’s annoying.”

“I know, but you’ll start feeling better soon. Mrs. Byers will take care of you.” she could practically see that sweet smile on his face, his voice was gentle as he spoke.

“I know she will.” she replied softly. “But I miss you.”

“I miss you too.” he replied, sighing. “But hey, at least we get to see each other for Valentines Day! Just a little over a month to go. Plus you guys are coming next weekend.”

“Yes, a month is too long though. Jonathan gets to see Nancy more often than I get to see you.” At this point, Jonathan was taking his car and going to visit Nancy every weekend. It drove the entire Party insane, but no one could do anything about it.

Mike let out a groan and she had a feeling he was nodding, and said, “I know, right? How is that fair? Nancy _told_ me the weekend before you guys moved that whenever she went to see Jonathan that I could come with her, or when Jonathan came to see _her_ , you and Will could go with him. It’s really not fair at all, I get that they’re older but what the hell? Just because I can’t drive yet doesn’t mean I can’t see you and Will more often.” she could hear the pout in his voice as he ranted, and couldn’t help but smile, stretching out on her bed.

“I agree. It’s not fair, but I guess there’s a good reason.”

“It’s not good enough for me.” he replied. “I mean, we went so long without seeing each other once, and I know this is completely different, but it still sucks, you know? I get that _they_ are making up for lost time, but it’s also not my fault that Nancy took her time with Steve and beat around the bush before getting with Jonathan.” he huffed and El giggled, shaking her head at her boyfriend. He was adorable. “Do you know what beat around the bush even means? I feel like I’ve never said that to you.” she laughed at that, and said,

“I know what it means. When you want to avoid what’s really important.” she quipped. He chuckled.

“Exactly what it means.” he told her. She smiled.

The two talked for nearly two hours before Karen forced him to get off the phone and eat lunch, whereas it took them another ten minutes to get the “I love you’s” and “see you soon’s” in. But they did, promising to talk to each other that night before bed. Mike went and ate his lunch, and El took a much needed nap.

* * *

**Tuesday, January 14, 1986**

By Tuesday, El was back to feeling one hundred percent, and was working on some school when Will and Luis came in after school to do their own homework.

“I’m thinking when we’re all done dealing with this school shit, I show you guys some more of my _talents_.” Luis said. El raised her eyebrows at him.

“Do you want to? You don’t have to. I can’t exactly show you any of mine other than the one.” she said. He shrugged.

“I don’t mind. This friendship doesn’t consist of a “if you show me yours, I’ll show you mine” type of thing, ya know?”

“That doesn’t sound good at all, and you know it.” Will scolded, throwing a balled up piece of paper. “Ignore him, El, he has a dirty mind.”

“Is that like happy screams?” she asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

“I’m sorry?” Luis asked, eyes widening.

“Happy screams.” she repeated. She never got a complete answer from Max and hadn’t ever asked anyone else. She had an inkling that Luis definitely wasn’t the right person to ask, but didn’t say anything to stop him.

“Happy screams, you say?”

“Luis, I swear to God, I will beat your ass so bad you’ll wanna stay in the shadows _forever_ if you say anything outta line.” Will punched his shoulder and Luis yelped.

“I wasn’t, my guy! I wasn’t! I was only going to tell her to ask that boyfriend of hers.” he said innocently. “I’m sure he knows what happy screams are.”

“Oh my _God_.” Will banged his head against the table, and El, startled, forgot about it for the moment and put her hands palm up under his head to stop him.

“Don’t do that, you’ll hurt yourself.” she told him, as if it wasn’t what he was aiming for. He lifted his head and gave her a small smile.

“Sorry.” he muttered. “Let’s do our homework so that Luis can show us his abilities.”

And he did. What he could actually show them, at least. There was one he wasn’t exactly sure about himself, so he didn’t bother to mention it, but instead, showed them how he shadow walked, and did it with both of them, showing them how easy it was for him. He had Will throw rocks at him and created a dark shield, as he called it, and it was made up of shadows, but protected him completely, shaped almost like a dome.

“I can do smaller ones, too, like Captain America, but I feel safer if I use the dome.” he’d told them.

The last one he showed them was the weapon, the one that could really help. He could draw energy from the darkness and create what he called “Shadow Bombs” which weren’t really bombs, they didn’t work like bombs, but they did damage to whatever they hit. He knocked bark off an entire side of a tree, looking as though it had been hit and damaged by a car. 

The adopted siblings thought it was the coolest thing ever.

* * *

**Friday, January 17, 1986**

“ROBIN!” Dustin yelled at the top of his lungs as he barreled into Melvalds.

“Jesus fucking Christ Henderson, warn a guy, won’t you?” Steve grumbled.

“That is very disrespectful.” Dustin told him, slamming a text book and a binder on the counter in front of Steve, “Where’s Robin?” he asked.

“She’s out sick.” Steve said. “We close early today. What do you need her for?”

“Spanish is a real bitch, Steve. Who decided it was a good idea for Freshman to have to learn a new language in a new school?” he threw his hands up, knocking his hat off in the process. “Dammit.”

“I’m pretty sure it was the school board that decided that.”

“Well, it’s stupid, and I won’t stand for it. I don’t understand anything other than how to roll my R’s.”

“And you need Robin’s help with that?” Steve asked.

“Obviously. What’s her address-”

“First off, I’m not giving you her address. Second, she’s _sick_. And even if she wasn’t I wouldn’t give it to you. Why can’t Lil Wheeler or Sinclair help you? Or Max?”

“Mike can barely speak as it is, let alone another language.” he rolled his eyes. “And the same with Lucas, they fumble over their words now more than I ever have. I blame it on the girls.”

“You have a girlfriend.”

“I’m confident. They are not.”

“Wow, okay.”

“And Max is taking French.”

“Christ, okay, but don’t you guys have a new friend? Will’s friend? Isn’t he Mexican?”

“He’s Latino, jackass, or Hispanic if you will.” Steve made a face. “And just because someone is Hispanic doesn’t mean they can speak Spanish.”

“Doesn’t it though?”

“No! That’s just rude to assume. And anyways, I don’t know if he can speak it or not, and even if he could, it’d be incredibly hard for him to teach me through a phone.”

“True. Well, if you can calm your ass down until I get off work I can help you.” Steve told him. Dustin stared at him for a moment.

“You can help me.” he deadpanned. “You can speak Spanish?”

“I mean, I’m not like, fluent, but I’m pretty good at it.” Dustin stared at him suspiciously. “I’m not completely stupid, Henderson!” he grumbled, grabbing a roll of paper towels behind the desk and smacking Dustin with it.

“Hey, I don’t think you’re stupid.” Dustin huffed, snatching the paper towel roll and smacking him back.

“You’d be the first. Dustin smacked him again.

“Bull shit.”

* * *

**Friday, January 24, 1985**

“I feel like I’m going insane, Max.” Mike huffed, throwing himself onto his bed. She rolled her eyes and plopped in his desk chair. “No one believes me, I swear I saw a magnet move on it’s own last night and I didn’t get _any_ sleep. And Holly even says she sees them move.”

“Did you get any sleep the night before?” she smirked.

“I did, yes, I didn’t imagine it with my sleep deprived mind, Max.”

“Okay, okay.” she held her hands up. “So what? You think your house is haunted? Who would be haunting your house?”

“I don’t think it’s exactly… haunted. But, uh, I think it’s Hopper.” Max stared at the back of the boys head.

“Mike… I think you should see a doctor or therapist. Hopper’s dead.” she said the last part softly. “I get you’re guilty over how you acted with him, before everything happened, but thinking he’s a ghost in your house sounds pretty crazy. And incredibly unhealthy.”

“I don’t think he’s a ghost!” he exclaimed, sitting up. “I don’t think he’s dead either.”

“Then what-?”

“The Upside Down, okay?” Mike grumbled. “I think he’s in there.”

“Sounds a bit far fetched, don’t you think? It’s been way over six months, I don’t think he could survive there for that long.”

“I know it sounds crazy, Max but… I swear I hear him yelling my name sometimes, you know? And my name keeps popping up on the fridge with a little H next to it, like you know how you end a note? A dash and then the first letter of your first name, or just your name?” Max sighed but nodded. “And it’s too tall for Holly to reach, and my parents and Nancy don’t mess with them unless my mom is picking them up off the floor. And Holly can’t even spell my name right, she spells it with _Y_ instead of _I_ .” he ran a hand through his hair. “I know I sound insane but I’m _not_ , I mean, Will messed with the lights when he was there, so Hopper could be trying to do the same but with magnets.”

“But why wouldn’t he do it with the lights?” she asked.

“I don’t know… maybe cause my parents would flip the fuck out over the lights and get all new wiring or something? I don’t know, he knows them better than I do.” she made a face at that. “Went to school with my dad.” he told her. “And I guess knew my mom before he left town.”

“What does El think about all this.” Mike didn’t say anything. “You haven’t told her any of this, have you, Wheeler?”

“No, and it’s not to be a dick. I just… it’s about Hopper, and I know she doesn’t like to talk about him because it upsets her so… I don’t think I’d be a good boyfriend if I told her I think her dad was in the Upside Down and talking to me with magnets. It also makes me sound absolutely fucking nuts-”

“Language!” Ted called as he walked by the door. Mike let out a groan.

“Language.” Max mocked and Mike snorted.

“Anyways, you know what I mean, right?” Max nodded.

“Yeah. I understand, Mike, I do. But if it gets to the point that you’re hearing a full sentence or you actually see him, promise me you’ll let me take you to the crazy house.”

“Oh fuck off.” he threw a pillow at her and she laughed. 

“On a serious note, what do we do? Do you want to try and like… contact him? Ooh do you have a ouija board? We could probably use one of those.”

“No, the two of us would end up welcoming demons into my house.” Mike shook his head. “Besides, we don’t have one but I think Dustin does, for whatever reason.”

“Dustin’s a weird guy.”

“You’re telling me, I’ve known him longer than you. One time he stuffed a gummy bear up his nose and…” Mike went on telling her stories about Dustin, and then eventually moved to Lucas, whereas Mike asked,

“So… have you two been talking?”

“I feel like we’re having a girly conversation here.” she said.

“We are, now talk.” Mike motioned with his hands. She let out a cackle at that.

“We’re like… civil with each other, I guess. He doesn’t ignore everything I say to him anymore.”

“Well, that’s a start.” Mike told her. “Have _you_ apologized for whatever he was mad about?”

“I’ve tried, but when I start to he just waves his hand and tells me not to worry about it.”

“Well, wave your hand right back at his ass and tell him you’re sorry. He’s being a stubborn dick when it comes to that.”

“You’re one to call someone else stubborn.” she retorted. He snorted.

“I know,” he agreed. “But I’m not wrong.”

* * *

**Sunday, February 9, 1986**

Mike wondered if this is what it felt like for Mrs. Byers when Will went missing and she was convinced he was right in front of her, but he wasn’t. That's how Mike feels. He’s almost one hundred percent certain that Hopper is trying to contact him from the Upside Down using the magnets, but he never saw them move. He swore he heard Hopper yelling at him- he’d know that voice anywhere, as much as he’d been yelled at when he was with El.

He wasn’t sleeping very well, he felt like there was an added presence in his house at all times, sure it was Hopper. But no one believed him. Well, Max did, to an extent, and she’d gone as far as to ask Dustin’s ass for his Ouija board, but Mike just threw a pillow at her when she showed it to him.

_“What’s up with you and throwing fucking pillows at me all the time?” she’d shrieked._

_“Because you’re annoying.” he replied._

_“Ew, that sounds familiar.” Mike snorted at that._

_“Me and Nancy throw pillows at each other, so… yeah. Consider yourself my sister I guess.”_

_“Awe, that’s so sweet!” Max cooed, laughing when she got hit with another pillow._

_“Shut up, like you don’t feel the same way.” he stuck his tongue out at her. She shrugged and whacked him in the head with the pillow in her hands._

Mike didn’t really know what to do, other than call Mrs. Byers and ask for her opinion, or beg her to come back to Hawkins, or _something_. It wouldn’t hurt to try.

“Hello?” Joyce answered the phone.

“Um, hi Mrs Byers.”

“Mike! El is in the shower right now and Will and Jonathan have gone to the store-”

“No, I, um, I called because… I wanted to talk to… to you.”

“Oh. Is everything okay?” she asked, unknotting the cord and taking a seat at the kitchen table.

“I don’t know.” the teen was quiet, his voice shaky.

“What is it, Sweetie?”

“Um… I just… last year, did- did you feel like you were going crazy?”

“I think we’ve established I am kind of crazy at this point, Mike.” she chuckled.

“No, no, no… like… crazy because of the… the magnets?” her eyes widened and she held her breath for a moment, before speaking,

“Is-is something wrong with the magnets?” she asked.

“Yeah.” he nearly whispered it. “I-I… they keep moving. Holly’s letter magnets… on the fridge.”

“Have you seen them move?” she asked.

“I think I saw one move once but… they keep spelling out my name. And… there’s a… a lower case L that’s horizontal and an H…”

“Are you sure it’s not Holly doing it? Or someone else?” Joyce asked in a hopeful voice.

“I’m sure. She can’t… she can’t reach high enough on the fridge and… all the letters are on the bottom. Dad is too lazy to bend down and get one, so why would he do it? Nancy hasn’t touched a magnet since last year and the only time mom touches one it’s just to put a drawing on the fridge or pick one up that got knocked down.” 

“It isn’t Dustin or Lucas trying to make you think it’s Holly?”

“It’s not any of them, Mrs. Byers. Holly can’t even spell my name right. She uses a _Y_ instead of an _I_ , and they know that.”

“Who else could it be?” she asked.

“I… I think it’s Hopper.”

“Mike…” she trailed off, letting out a sigh.

“Look, I know I sound crazy, but listen. There is a whole other… you know what, out there. How do we know there isn’t anything else? Hell, maybe he’s actually a ghost or something. I just know something’s not right.”

Joyce didn’t say anything, for what seemed like forever. She ran a hand through her hair, and asked, “What do you want me to do, Mike? I don’t… I don’t know how to help you.”

“Come back.” he said. “Come back here soon and-and you can see for yourself that I’m not really crazy and delusional like everyone thinks I am. I swear I keep hearing someone talking in my house and El said it was probably my dad talking in his sleep but I hear it when I’m home alone and I’m not sleeping great and I need someone who believes me. Please come back.”

“Mike…”

“Please, Mrs. Byers. Something is wrong again in Hawkins.”

They wouldn’t be able to come until the thirteenth, because according to Joyce, she had to ask off work a few days in advance, and work her original days off prior to being off now. Jonathan had already planned to come to Hawkins on the day before, since school was out for the next two days for professional development. El and Will weren’t going to go with Jonathan, because he’d outright refused to take them for whatever reason. He claimed it was because he’d only missed one or two days of school, and that Will has missed too many to miss anymore, but no one argued with him, though he was wrong He was going the day he originally planned, and the next day, Joyce, Will and El would be following him.

* * *

**Wednesday, February 12, 1986**

Mike was home alone for the first time in about a few weeks, and he was a little on edge. See, he heard the voice more often when he was alone, and convinced him he wasn’t crazy and that it wasn’t his dad talking in his sleep because he wasn’t even there.

So yeah, he was on edge, and when there was a loud knock on the door, he nearly fell off the couch. It was almost five thirty in the afternoon, usually the time his dad got home, but he had a key, and was also on a business trip this week, so he was off the board of who was at the door.

“Just go look, you dimwit.” Mike grumbled to himself. Whoever was knocking banged on the door again, just as Mike was about to open it. “Chill _out_! Damn!”

The first thing he saw were suits, and then he saw guns, and then he saw Martin Brenner. “Oh fuck.”

“Michael Wheeler.” Brenner said, grinning. “It’s nice to see you again.”

 _Shut the door and lock it. Shut the door and lock it._ Mike said to himself, but he couldn’t help but stare in shock at the white haired man. 

“You’re coming with us. I have a few questions I’d like to ask you.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Mike said, furrowing his eyebrows. “Goodbye.” he tried to shut the door in his face, but he knew damn well it wouldn’t do any good.

“Really, child?” Brenner asked, stopping the door with only a hand. He pushed it open and grabbed Mike.

“Let me go you bastard!” Mike yelled, kicking and trying to get away. Another man grabbed him and he knew he wasn’t getting out of this, so he just started screaming. “LET ME GO! LET ME GO! YOU PIECE OF SHIT- HELP ME! LET ME G-!”

“Dammit, someone get the chloroform.” Brenner yelled, and almost immediately a cloth was covering Mike’s mouth and nose, and everything went black. “The kid definitely puts up a fight. This’ll be fun.”


	5. Chapter Five: Code "You've Gotta Be Shitting Me"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chap within five days? Can you believe?!?!?!!?
> 
> Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy! Please let me know what you think (Comments make my day!) in the comments!

**Wednesday, February 12, 1985**

**_Melvalds_ **

“Hi, yes, hello, we need to talk.” Dustin smacked his hands on the counter in front of him. Robin and Steve stared at him.

“He won’t tell me what’s going on but it’s “serious”.” Erica told them.

“Look, I know I said that me begging for a ride just to get candy was serious, but this is big time serious. Code “you’ve gotta be shitting me” man, like, bad serious. July serious.” he whispered the last bit.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, _oh_.” Dustin raised his eyebrows.

“I’ll go let Mr. Melvald know we have an emergency, that a friend of ours got hurt or something.” Robin said, before rushing off to Mr. Melvald’s office. Steve started banging his head on the counter until Erica grabbed him by the hair to stop him.

“Ow!” he yelped. “Let me go.” he grumbled.

“Stop banging your head. We need you somewhat functioning this time.” 

“Fine.” Steve huffed and she let him go. He immediately pulled out a compact mirror and fixed his hair, all the while casting glares at Erica.

“Really? You’re worried about your hair?” Dustin scowled. “Mike could be getting kidnapped as we speak, and you’re worried about your hair?”

“WHAT?” Steve and Erica yelled.

“ROBIN, HURRY UP WE GOTTA GO!” Dustin yelled. She came running back, middle finger in the air.

“We’ll go in my car.” she told them. “It’s my grandmas old minivan, so enough for however many people we end up with.”

In the car, Steve turned around to look at Dustin.

“Tell me what the fuck is going on, _right fucking now Henderson_!”

“I was waiting to talk to my girlfriend, right? Well, I accidentally switched channels and I heard Russians again.” he said. “They were speaking in English for the most part and… they’re being lead by an American. Martin Brenner.” he said. “From what I gathered, he wants to get Mike so that he can get information on where El is. He thinks El can control the Demogorgons or anything from the Upside Down.”

“Step on it, Robin, make this piece of shit go as fast as it can.”

“Hey!” Robin snapped. “Shut your mouth.” but she did as she was told.

“Go to Mike’s house.” he added.

“I thought Brenner was _dead_ .” Steve ran a hand through his hair. “What the _hell_.”

“We did too. But I heard his voice and I heard them calling him by name. And you can’t forget a voice like that.” Dustin shook his head.

“Well I’m sure Mike’s fine, he knows how to handle himself.” Robin said, biting her lip.

* * *

**_The Upside Down/Wheeler’s House_ **

Hopper was sitting in the front lawn of the Wheeler’s when he heard Mike start screaming. The kid was supposed to be alone for a few hours, Hopper had learned, having been listening in to conversations, so he decided to sit and wait until someone got home. He’d got a weird feeling in his gut that something was gonna happen, so he wanted to stay close.

“LET ME GO! LET ME GO! YOU PIECE OF SHIT- HELP ME! LET ME G-!”

Hopper jumped up quickly, following the sound, and faintly heard the word “chloroform” and Mike went silent.

“The kid definitely puts up a fight. This’ll be fun.” he heard a familiar voice say. “Let’s get him to the lab.”

The fucking lab, of course.

“I really fucking hope that’s not where all the monsters are.” Hopper muttered to himself as he took off running towards the lab.

He couldn’t help but feel hope that this was his way out. Maybe they’ve reopened the gate? Which wouldn’t be good, but it would be a way out, that’s for sure.

It took him awhile to get to the lab from there- he’s old, _still_ not in the best shape, he gets out of breath easily, cut him some slack.

“I’m too old for this _shit_.” he muttered to himself.

Upon seeing the lab, Hopper stopped dead in his tracks, realizing exactly what they wanted Mike for. They wanted El. There’d be no other reason for them to do anything to him. “ _Shit_.” he took off, testing his luck, and got into the building easily. As he opened the door, he heard a deafening screech and whipped around. In the distance, above the trees, he saw a dark, smokey arm- or whatever you want to call it- shooting up into the sky, others following with it.

“ _Fuck_.”

* * *

**_The Wheeler’s House_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Fifteen minutes after Mike is kidnapped_ **

“The doors open.” Erica said as they pulled to a harsh stop in the driveway of the Wheelers. She was right, the front door was cracked open the slightest bit. Steve darted out of the car and into the house.

“Wheeler!” he yelled. “Mike, are you here?”

“Son of a bitch.” Dustin huffed after they looked through the house quickly, making sure he wasn’t asleep or something, but they knew better. “Son of a bitch, we were too late.” he put a hand on his forehead.

“You’ve _got_ to be shitting me.” Robin muttered.

“Why is it I can never protect you little shits? I mean seriously, something _always goes wrong_!” Steve threw his hands in the air.

“Well, instead of freaking out, let’s go look for him?” Erica suggested.

“Where? Where could we look for him, Erica.” Steve asked. “I genuinely wanna know so we _can_.”

“The lab.” she said simply. “Specifically, the basement is where they’d probably take him if that’s where he’s at.” the three older teens looked at her, eyebrows raised.

“How do you know they’re taking him to the lab?” Robin asked.

“Where else would they take him? The mall? That’s burnt down? No, I don’t think so. And what other place would they even consider taking him?”

“I don’t know, maybe the cabin?” Steve suggested. “For some weird reason, I don’t know.”

“No, not the cabin you idiot.” Erica huffed. Steve threw his arms in the air again.

“Let’s go to the fucking lab, I guess. Like it’s gonna do any good if he’s even there.”

* * *

**_The Lab/Upside Down_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Twenty minutes after Mike was kidnapped_ **

Hopper was cautious as he walked through the lab. He figured they weren’t going to be in the actual building, it would raise suspicion out in the real world, of course, but he checked a few rooms and stood quietly to make sure he didn’t hear voices anyways. Then, he made his way down the stairs- he didn’t know how many staircases their were, but he knew his legs would not be happy with him later when he finally reached the basement, which wasn’t really a basement at all. An underground hell story if you ask him. When he thinks about a basement, he thinks of the Wheeler’s. A place to go where you feel safe, but _no_ one could possibly _ever_ feel safe in this place, and not just because he was in the Upside Down version.

The place was just as horrible as he remembered. Long corridors, a door or two on each. A rarity, really. He stopped at each he passed, though, and felt dread seeping into his chest the closer he got to the gate. He could hear voices, but nothing to do with Mike. This was where they were operating, like he’d thought. He reached the room with the gate much quicker than he’d hoped, and took a chance with the tall ladder over the edge to the floor. It creaked, and it groaned, and he nearly fell off a few times, losing his footing, or one of the steps breaking. He did, however, fall about four feet because the bottom part of the ladder was gone. He barely managed to stick the landing, despite it being a fairly short drop.

The _only_ way he was able to see any of this, was thanks to the giant pulsating, bright gate in front of him. It was as big as he remembered, looking as though it hadn’t been opened back up long. There were no monsters around, though, and he was thankful, but he knew this wasn’t gonna be very fun, and hoped that he’d be able to change into one of those full jumpsuits he’d worn once.

Hopper stepped closer to the gate, sound roaring in his ears as he reached it, and scratched his chin. He’d grown a beard in his time here, it was cold here, so it helped. His hair was long, and he was sure there were a few more grey streaks in it by now. Hopper reached a hand out and squeezed his eyes shut as he pushed through the gate.

He couldn’t describe what it felt like, he just knew it was disgusting, but it was easy to go through, as if it had been worn down from multiple entrances and exits. _Had people come inside here? And I didn’t notice?_ He thought as he kicked his left leg through, and pulled himself completely through. _God I hope there aren’t any guards out here_.

There weren’t, so Hopper was free to suck in a huge breath of fresh air and immediately fall into a coughing fit.

“Fuck!” he choked out, dropping his gear and taking his wet, gooey jacket and pants off, wiping his hands on a clean jumpsuit and putting on a new one, all the while coughing. He didn’t have any time to spare. He took a deep, sputtering breath and swallowed thickly, relieved when the coughing stopped. “Okay, okay, let’s see here.” he looked at the new zipper in front of him. He remembered watching the old one get unzipped for he and Joyce to enter this place. God, it was so long ago now, it seemed. Not even three years.

* * *

**_The Lab/Hawkins_ **

**_Thirty minutes after Mike was kidnapped_ **

When Mike came to, two things happened. He quickly realized he was restrained, and that he was gonna puke. He leaned over as best he could and puked up everything in his stomach.

“Ugh, that is disgusting. I didn’t know chloroform did this.” a strange voice said from the corner.

“Shut it, Cheslav.” another voice ordered. It was familiar.

Mike gagged and spit what was left in his mouth on the floor. His eyesight was blurry.

“Stop that.” Cheslav hissed, suddenly in his line of sight.

“S’not m’fault, ya dick.” Mike slurred.

He was shivering, the room he was in cold, and all he wore was a short sleeved t- shirt and jeans, no shoes, no socks.

Then before he could even blink, he was soaked _and_ shivering.

“What the _fuck_!” he exclaimed, trying to kick at whoever poured water on him. One of them ran a dry towel over his face harshly, one time to get the water out of his face, another just to be an ass.

“We’re going to ask you questions.” Cheslav said.

“I’m not going to answer.” Mike retorted, only to get punched in the stomach. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” he choked. “I’ll puke on you.”

“I’ll kill you.” Cheslav threatened.

“Stop, Cheslav.” the other voice said. Another person came into view, and Mike’s eyes nearly crossed. God, his head hurt. “Michael Wheeler, you will answer any question we ask, or you will be punished.” Mike just let out a snort and tried to focus on the man in front of him. White hair, he could tell, a suit…

“Brenner.” Mike said, voice filled with hate.

“You’d be correct.” Brenner grinned, but Mike couldn’t see. His vision just wouldn’t clear up. “Cheslav, would you like to ask the first question?”

“Yes.” a big, burly man stood in front of Mike, close to his face.

“Your breath stinks.” Mike groaned.

“Where is Martin Brenner’s daughter?” he asked, making sure to blow his breath in Mike’s face.

“She’s dead.” Mike spat, making sure spit got on Cheslav’s face. He backed up, wiping at his face with his sleeve.

“See, that’s where you’re wrong, child.” Brenner said. “We found a picture of you and her together, at the cabin where she and her late “Adopted father” lived.” 

_Fuck_

“She’s dead.” he repeated. “She died in July.”

“You don’t sound very broken up about it.” Cheslav said, slapping Mike, _hard_.

“No, because I know she doesn’t have to worry about you mother fuckers-” Brenner hit him this time, and he could feel the blood coming from his brand new split lip. Mike glared at him.

“Knife?” Cheslav asked, hopeful.

“Yes.” Brenner said.

“You guys suck at this.” Mike spit. “Already bringing the knife out after one question. Stupid.” God, he knew he’d regret all this talking back, but he was one hundred percent not in his right mind. He was freezing, his head felt like it was about to explode, he wasn’t having a good time. He would not recommend.

“Coming into this we knew you’d be difficult.” Brenner said. “You love my daughter-”

“She’s not your daughter!” Mike yelled. “Is that what you’re telling these people?”

“Cut him once. On the arm.” Brenner ordered, and suddenly Mike’s entire arm was stinging. He bit the inside of his mouth to keep from screaming in pain. “She is my daughter, child.”

“She’s just an experiment to you.” Mike hissed, chest heaving. “You took her-”

“Again.”

His arm stung even worse than before. A searing pain.

“ _Stop_.” Mike cried out, squirming, trying to get out of the ropes.

“Then stop telling lies!” Brenner punched him in the face, hard enough to make his nose bleed, but it wasn't broken. He didn’t think, at least.

“I’m _not lying you piece of shit._ ”

“ _Again_.” Brenner hissed. This time, he aimed for Mike’s thigh, instead of cutting, he jabbed the knife into the side of Mike’s thigh, close to the knee and Mike shrieked in pain.

All of a sudden, alarms started blaring and a voice came over Cheslav’s radio.

“CREATURE HAS ESCAPED. REPEAT, CREATURE HAS ESCAPED. NEED ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET. OVER.”

“Go help. I’ll take it from here.” Brenner told him. Leaving the knife, Cheslav ran out of the room.

Mike squeezed his eyes shut, tears slipping out easily. He heard Brenner moving around and heard the click of a gun. Mike tensed at the sound, and started trembling at the feel of the cool metal against his forehead.

“I don’t want to kill you, Michael. I want to know where Eleven is. She’s _mine_.”

“She’s not yours. I’d rather _die_ than tell you where she is.” Mike fired back, shaking his head, not opening his eyes.

“She is MINE!” Brenner yelled.

Before Brenner could pull the trigger, or hit Mike again, or whatever he was going to do, the door slammed open.

Brenner dropped the gun, startled, and Mike- Mike, who was hardly in his right mind to know to do this- kicked the gun as hard as he could, considering he was tied to a chair. He thinks it may have went off when it hit the wall, but something- or someone- was barreling towards the two. Brenner was tackled to the ground before he knew it, and he was getting his face punched in.

“You sorry piece of _shit_!” the man above him yelled. “You’re fucking insane!” Brenner tried his best to fight back, barely getting a few weak hits in, before the man stopped and grabbed Brenner by the collar. 

While Brenner was getting his ass beat in front of him, Mike took the time to try and look at his injuries. His vision was still blurred to hell, but he could tell that none of it was good, and that was after the fact that he was in a _lot_ of pain. A knife was jammed into his thigh, blood slowly seeping through his jeans. His left arm had too, deep gashes going the same way. Slanted, beginning on the outer side and going in. He wondered if they were deep enough to cause him to bleed out. Considering his luck, most likely.

He looked out at the sight before him, eyes crossing again as he tried to focus on who was in front of him and beating Brenner like there was no tomorrow. He heard the voice yelling, he knew it was familiar, but he could hardly remember his own name. He felt blood dripping from his nose, and he scrunched it up, which didn’t help the pain and he let out a small noise. The mysterious man stopped when he heard it, and glanced back at Mike for a moment. All Mike knew was that the guy had a bushy ass beard.

“You’re gonna pay for this.” he heard the man hiss at Brenner, before lifting his head up and slamming him back down, knocking him out. “Piece of shit.” he muttered as he stood, and rushed back over to Mike. “Hey kid, kid, look at me.” Hopper said, tapping Mike’s cheek. Mike furrowed his brows at the man.

“Wha- Hopper?” he slurred.

“Yeah kid, it’s me.” Hopper gave him a grin. “I’m not dead yet. And neither are you, can you tell me everywhere you’re hurt?” he asked, using a different knife to cut the ropes.

“Ugh… what the fuck.” Mike muttered. He rubbed at his eyes once his hands were free, successfully smearing blood on to his cheek. “Uhh, there’s a… knife.” Mike muttered. Hopper looked down, thinking that for whatever reason Mike was talking about the one in his hand, and then saw the one lodged into his thigh.

“Son of a _bitch_.” Hopper hissed. “What the fuck? Why are they doing this shit?”

“Want El.” he muttered. “Wouldn’t tell them. Talked back.”

“Goddammit.” Hopper huffed, glancing back at the door every few seconds. Mike was trembling so hard it was difficult for Hopper to cut the ropes on his legs without hurting him again, but somehow managed.

“M’cold.”

“That’s what chloroform will do to you.” Hopper told him. “It’ll wear off in a few hours.” Mike just groaned, letting his head fall back. Hopper grabbed the towel that Cheslav had used earlier and used his knife to cut it, and wrapped it around Mike’s leg, around the knife, as best he could, to help stop the bleeding. He couldn’t take the knife out yet, not yet. He didn’t want to risk the kid bleeding out from hitting an artery. That’s the last thing they needed here. “I’m gonna get you somewhere warm as soon as I can, kid, okay?” Hopper told him. Mike groaned again. He took the rest of the towel and tied it around Mike’s arm to help the bleeding to the cuts. They were deep, but they looked like they’d be fine. He wouldn’t die from them.

After, Hopper poked his head out of the door and looked down each side of the hall. No sign of anyone, no noise. He picked up the flamethrower and put it on, making sure everything was where it was supposed to be and not flopping around, and went back to Mike.

“All clear.” Hopper told him. Mike nodded and just sat there, staring at him. “Come on, kid.” Hopper helped him up and he yelped when he put weight on his leg.

“ _Shit_.” Mike whined. “Is this what Steve felt like all those times he got his ass beat?”

“Stop swearing.” Hopper grunted, lifting the scrawny teen up a bit higher. “I know you’re hurting kid, but you’re gonna have to help me out a bit here.”

“Yeah I’ll try.” Mike mumbled something under his breath that Hopper didn’t catch, but ignored. Mike limped next to Hopper, leaning most of his weight on him, but he did try, Hopper will give him that.

It took around ten minutes for them to get out, and Hopper had no idea how they did it without getting caught by a guard, or running into the Demogorgon. Hopper dreaded that the most, because he’d have to literally drop Mike and use the flamethrower against it, and he really didn’t want to do that.

Thankfully, he didn’t, and he managed to get them out of the lab safely. Well, for the most part, they were safe. Mike was in a mess, but he was alive, and he’d be fine.

* * *

**_Forty-five minutes after Mike is kidnapped_ ** **_  
_ ** **_The Wheeler’s yard_ **

Lucas was on his way back to his house, having gone to the Wheeler’s to talk to Mike about something, when he saw her. Max was storming down the street towards the Wheeler’s house.

“No one’s home!” he called to her. She stopped in the driveway.

“What?” she called back. He jogged towards her and repeated.

“No one’s home.”

She let out a huff and stomped her foot like a three year old having a tempertanturm. And he’d seen many, with his sister, _and_ Mike’s little sister.

“Um, what’s up?” Lucas asked her.

“Well, since you asked, my step father is the biggest fucking dick on this planet, and we all thought it was Billy. He got mad at me because I was listening to music and Billy’s favorite song came on, and he started talking shit about him and my mom just stood there and let him. Just fucking stood there and let him talk shit about his dead son. What kind of bullshit is that? _And_ Neil confessed and said that he just threw all of Billy’s stuff away instead of putting it in storage like he said. Just threw it all in a dumpster and never looked back.”

“That’s fucked up.”

“Right?” Lucas nodded in agreement.

“Uh, why’d you come to Mike’s then?”

“He’s like my best friend now and I was gonna make him take me to the pool.” she told him. Lucas raised his eyebrows.

“The pool? Like, Steve’s pool or the public pool?”

“Public, you idiot. Where Billy was a lifeguard. All the girls that were in love with him insisted that no one bothered his locker. Just leave it how he had it, you know?” Lucas nodded, but he did not, in fact, know that. “I want to break in and get something of his.”

“You can’t wait until summer?”

“I’m mad, and I want to do it.” she replied. “I’m _gonna_ do it, whether someone’s with me or not, but _someone_ has decided to just disappear today, so.” she shrugged.

“I’ll take you.” Lucas offered. She eyed him. “I mean, we’ve rode together before, so…” he shrugged.

“Can I trust you to _not_ get us caught?” she asked.

“Of course! You’d have to worry about _Mike_ getting you caught. If you didn’t know, Mike can barely walk straight, and would make the most noise.”

“Like you do any better.” she rolled her eyes. “But let’s go.”

She followed him to his bike, and it was a little tighter of a fit, but it worked out, and they were off.

It was dark when they arrived, and no one else was in sight.

“You have a flashlight on that thing don’t you?” she asked him. He nodded, and turned the light on his bike on. It wasn’t as bright as it used to be, but it did the job. She pulled a bobby pin out of her jacket pocket and started messing with the lock as Lucas kept watch.

“Got it!” she said, holding the padlock in her hand as the chains hit the ground with a loud _clang_. “Shit. Well, it’s a good thing there’s no one around I guess.” Lucas snorted and shrugged.

“I guess.”

They went inside the gate, closing it, and putting the chains back around it to make it seemed locked, in case someone did come by. Walking around the pool, Max cringed.

“I figured they’d like, cover the pool or something. That’s what they did back in California during fall and winter.”

“I don’t know, I thought they did too. Maybe they just forgot or something this year.” he shrugged.

“Well it’s gross in there. Can’t even see the bottom.” Lucas nodded in agreement and they continued on.

The door to the locker room was harder to pick, because it was a normal door lock, but Max got it, and they went in. Lucas flipped a light switch and a single light came on, just barely brightening the room.

“It doesn’t look like all of them are locked.” Lucas said, crouching down to look at the bottom row.

“Yeah, it’s winter. No one’s working here now.”

“No shit.” he muttered.

She rolled her eyes and found the ones that were locked- there were three. Probably Billy’s and Heather’s lockers. She wasn’t sure who the third one could be, but she shrugged it off and went to picking.

“Of course, the last fucking one I open is right.” she huffed. Lucas watched her dig around in the locker until she came out with a little grin on her face and a hand holding a lighter. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“A lighter?” he asked. “There isn’t anything better?”

“Hey!” she threw a towel at his face. “There’s clothes and shit and a broken pair of sunglasses, so this is all I got. Plus, I can just refill it and keep using it, asshole.” she grumbled, closing the locker and locking it again.

He doesn’t say anything else, he just watches her lean against the rows of lockers and slides down it until she’s sitting on the floor. He sits where he was standing, a foot or two away from her, and they sit silently. She flicks the lighter on and off for a while, that being the only sound, until,

“You know I-” Max started.

“I wanted to-” Lucas interrupted.

“Go ahead.” they said together, and looked at each other. Lucas snorted and Max grinned at him, shaking his head. 

“You go first.” Lucas told her. She nodded.

“You know I’ve been trying to apologize.” she started. “Not _just_ to you, but _mainly_ to you, you know?” Lucas nodded. 

“Yeah, I know.” he sighed. “I just… I don’t know, I’m stubborn I guess. Didn’t wanna hear it for a long time. Or say it. What I said the day we broke up for the last time still stands, to an extent. I’m sorry for being as… harsh as I was, because I didn’t have to stoop that low, but I think now you know why I was the way I was that day.” she nodded.

“I do, and no you didn’t have to stoop so low, but I kinda deserved it. I was a bitch to you and Mike, and probably everyone else at one point.” he just shrugged at that.

“I wouldn’t call you a bitch.”

“Because I’d beat your ass if you did, but that’s not my point. I’m sorry for being controlling and breaking up with you for bullshit reasons. That’s not how relationships are supposed to work.”

“They’re not, no, but no one really knows how they work, I guess. There’s not some perfect way to be a couple.”

“Actually, Mike and El are a pretty good one.” Max snickered. Lucas rolled his eyes but laughed.

“They’re not perfect either, but damn if their love isn’t like a fairy tale. I swear it was love at first sight for them. Mike pretty much just shined a flashlight in El’s face in the pouring rain and they stared at each other for like three minutes before anyone did anything.” Max snorted.

“Really?” she asked, eyebrows raised.

“Nah, it was only for like thirty seconds because we were all shocked so…” he shrugged. She laughed.

“So, can we forgive and not necessarily forget?” she asked. He nodded and held out his hand.

“Friends?” he asked.

“Friends.” she confirmed, shaking his hand. “Thanks for not trying to get me to do the spit thing you guys do-” 

Before she could continue, there was a loud crash coming from the room next to them. They stood quickly.

“What the hell was that?” Lucas asked. Max shrugged and slowly started backing away, shaking her head.

“I don’t know, but I don’t want to stick around to find out-” she cut herself off with a scream when a giant form slammed its way through the door, the door nearly falling off its hinges. It stuck its long legs through the door and tried to pull itself through, but it was stuck for a moment.

“WHAT THE FUCK!” Lucas shrieked. “Oh _hell_ no.” he turned on his heel and grabbed Max, running for the locker door.

“What the hell IS THAT THING?” she yelled.

“I DON’T KNOW!”

Lucas let her go as they ran towards the gate, but Max was distracted, looking back to see what was chasing them. It looked like it was from the Upside Down, that’s for sure, but it wasn’t any Demogorgon or Demodog they’d ever seen, but a massive fucking _spider_ , and that just made it worse. It meant it was faster, and could probably climb up a damn wall.

She didn’t get a chance to look at it very long, because before she could register what was happening, she let out a shriek as she fell into the pool, the lighter flying out of her hand and onto the concrete surrounding the pool.

“You’ve gotta be _shitting_ me!” she yelled when she reemerged. 

“Oh shit, oh no, that’s not good.” Lucas exclaimed, turning around to see what happened. Thankfully, the spider was not coming for him. Unfortunately, it was after Max, but she was in the murky water, and the spider didn’t seem to like the water.

Every time it touched the water, it jerked its leg back out of the water and hissed.

“ _Shit_.” Lucas smacked his forehead, “MAX! GET TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE POOL!” he yelled to her and took off running towards the spider. It didn’t pay him any mind, so he was able to get behind it without worrying about it turning on him. He spotted the lighter on the ground a few feet behind the spider, so he grabbed it and tucked it into his pocket. He took a deep breath and ran up behind the spider and kicked it, sending it tumbling into the pool. Then, he ran around to Max and helped her out of the water. They didn’t look back this time, they just ran to the gate and undid the chains, rushing out and doing them up again, along with the lock, as if that would do anything against the massive spider. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like they'd have to worry about it, because no matter how hard it tried, it just couldn’t keep itself above the water- thrashing it’s legs, water splashing out onto the concrete. But it sank deeper the harder it tried. They watched until it finally stopped moving, which did take a few minutes, but it did, and sank until they couldn’t see it anymore.

“Well.” Lucas said, taking the lighter out of his pocket. “That was fun. Here’s your lighter.”

“How’d you get it?” she asked ignoring the first part. She took it from him and flicked it, and it lit.

“It just flew out of your hand when you fell I guess.” he shrugged. “I saw it before I kicked the spider in and grabbed it.”

“Oh, well, thanks.” she gave him a small smile. She was shivering violently as she looked up at him.

“Oh shit, here.” he shrugged his jacket off and put it around her shoulders. “I know it won’t help much right now but it’s better than nothing.” he told her. “Let’s get you back to my house, you can warm up there.” She nodded and he picked up his bike. 

“This is gonna be a story to tell, huh?” Max asked as they rode away from the pool.

“Yeah, what should we call this thing? A demospider?”

“I mean, it works.” she chuckled. “A fucking demospider. What’s next?”

* * *

**_One hour after Mike is kidnapped, ten minutes after he is rescued by Hopper_ **

“Just sitting here is doing nothing.” Steve said as he looked at the lab through binoculars. The four were literally sitting in the trees, watching for any sign of movement at the lab, but saw nothing. They’d been sitting there for an hour now, for what, Steve didn’t know. “They could be torturing him in there and we’re just sitting in the damn trees.”

“Well, if you’d look more closely, you’d see movement out there, ass hat.” Dustin said, throwing a stick at him.

“Wait what?” Steve put the binoculars back up to his eyes so fast he almost gave himself a black eye. It took him a minute or so to see what Dustin was talking about, but sure enough, there was a figure moving towards the fence around the building.

“Who the hell?” he muttered. He tossed the binoculars into a bag and scrambled down the side of the tree. He grabbed the bag on his way down and the others followed after him.

“That’s Mike.” Dustin said. “And some big dude is pretty much carrying him.”

“Well let’s not just stand here!” Erica huffed, throwing her hands in the air. “There’s a hole in the fence down there, I’m sure that’s where they’re heading.” she told them, pointing.

“Shit.” Steve took off running towards the hole in the fence, and the rest of the group followed closely. “HEY!” he yelled as they got closer. “MIKE!”

“Harrington?” a familiar voice called back. Steve ducked under the hole in the fence and pointed at the remaining three.

“Stay there.” he told them and rushed toward Mike and the person carrying him. As he got closer, he realized it was _Hopper_ . “ _Hopper_?” he asked, eyebrows pinched together in confusion.

“Hey Steve!” Mike waved his arm at him.

“Ignore him, he was knocked out with chloroform, tortured for a few minutes, and doesn’t really know what’s going on.”

“I _do_ know what’s going on!” Mike slurred, head falling forward for a second. “I got my ass beat because I talked back to the Russian. Steve, is this how you felt?” Mike asked seriously. “I have a knife stuck in my leg, Steve.”

“What the _hell_?”

“A _knife_ Steve.” Mike said, nodding as if agreeing with himself.

“I, yeah, I see that.”

“It doesn’t feel good.”

“You wanna help me get him somewhere warm before he freezes to death? Look at the kid, he’s vibrating like a damn chihuahua.”

“I’m cold.”

“Yeah, come on. We’ve got a lot of talking to do.” Steve said, going to Mike’s other side and helping him walk along with Hopper. “ROBIN! GO START THE CAR!”

After ten minutes of hauling Mike’s scrawny ass to the car, they made it. Dustin and Erica had gone with her to search for the blankets Robin said she kept inside it, and had them ready to cover Mike the second he was in the van.

“I can’t fucking _see_.” he grumbled, flopping back against the door as everyone else squeezed in. He had his legs stretched out in the back seat over Robin and Dustin’s laps.

“Stop saying fuck.” Hopper said as he took off down the road. He hadn’t driven in months, so he was a little out of practice.

“He’s not gonna stop saying it.” Dustin said. “Why has he still got a knife embedded in his leg?”

“Because I don’t want to risk cutting an artery and him bleeding out.” Hopper said.

“So we’re taking him to the hospital?” Erica asked.

“No. We’re going to a pharmacy so that you can go inside and get supplies we need and then we’re going to Murray's.”

“Do you have money?” Dustin asked. “Cause I’m broke.”

“Do I look like I have money.” Hopper deadpanned.

“True.”

“I have some.” Erica said, reaching in her bag and pulling out a wad. “Hopefully this is enough.” 

“I’d hope so, damn.” Dustin muttered.

Hopper came to an abrupt stop in the parking lot of the pharmacy.

“You need to get rubbing alcohol, some towels or rags, the best painkillers they have on the shelves, some kind of ointment or whatever to put on the cuts, medical tape, and a lot of gauze. And a couple bottles of water.” he told Steve, who nodded.

“Oh, are you guys going inside?” Mike asked. “Cause I want something to drink.”

“What do you want?” Erica asked him.

“Uhhh water.” he said after a minute. She made a face at him but nodded, and got out of the car with Steve. 

“And hurry up!” Hopper yelled. Then he turned in his seat to look at the three in the back. “You think you two can help me get him in the way back?”  
“Like the trunk?” Dustin asked.

“If you wanna call it that. There’s space for him to stretch his leg out and for me to do what I need to do.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I need to get the knife out.” Hopper said.

“Uh uh.” Mike shook his head. “This knife is staying in me until I know I won’t die.” Mike stated.

“You’re not gonna die.” Hopper huffed. “I’ll be glad when you’re in your right mind again.”

“He hasn’t been in his right mind in a while, Hop.” Dustin quipped. “He’s been convinced you were a ghost and haunting his house by moving magnets on the fridge.”

“I didn’t say he was a _ghost_ , _Dustin_.” Mike said, smacking him on the shoulder. “I said he was in the Upside Down like Will was.”

“Well, I have been trying to contact him.” Hopper said. “I was in the Upside Down.” Dustin and Robin stared at him for a moment while Mike picked at his fingernails, squirming uncomfortably.

“You were in the Upside Down, for seven months?” Dustin squeaked. Hopper nodded. “ _How_?”

“A long story. We’ll worry about that later, but for now, let’s get him in the back.”

By the time they got the teen in the back, Erica and Steve had come back out.

“Harrington, do you know how to get to Murrays place?” Hopper asked.

“Uh, no.”

“ _Shit_ , well, I’ll give you directions.” he told him which interstate he needed to get on and turned his attention back to Mike as everyone got settled in their seats. He was sipping his water. “Hey, kid, I’m gonna clean you up some, okay?” Hopper told him. Mike nodded and put the top back on his water.

They’d bought a small case of water so that it wasn’t too cold for him, so Hopper broke one out and opened it. He soaked a rag with it and started wiping some of the blood off his face. Mike got this blank look in his eyes as he stared ahead, and once Hopper cleaned the blood from his face, he tapped his cheek.

“You good, Wheeler?”

“Yeah.” Mike nodded. “You look weird without your mustache.” he told him. Hopper rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, well, it’s kinda hard to shave in the Upside Down.” he retorted.

“Oh.” Mike nodded. “My head hurts.”

“I’d be concerned if it wasn’t.”

“So you’re not concerned now?” Mike asked, furrowing his brows.

“Oh no, I’m very concerned.” Hopper told him. “But you’re gonna be alright and we’ll get you fixed up in no time.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Mike told him.

“Of course, kid.”

Hopper cleaned up the cuts on his arms, and they definitely needed stitches, but he was going to do his best for now and clean it with both water and rubbing alcohol- which Mike did _not_ like, and sobered him up a bit, and wrapped them tightly with gauze.

Hopper was not looking forward to taking the knife out, and was almost tempted to wait until they got to Murray's, but that was still a ways away, and the sooner the better is what he learned.

“Alright, hey kid?” Hopper looked up at Mike. “You with me?”

“Uh huh.” Mike nodded.

“Are you still cold?” he nodded again. “There any more blankets up there?” he called. A thick, fluffy blanket was thrown to him, and he wrapped it around Mike’s shoulders. “Alright, there we go. I’m gonna need you to bite down on this.” he held up a rolled up stack of gauze. Mike made a face. “I’ve gotta take the knife out and I don’t want you bite your tongue off.” Mike’s eyes widened but he opened his mouth and let Hopper put it there. He bit down on it and Hopper took the ripped up towel off his leg- which was now nearly soaked in blood.

“Okay, okay. Henderson! Uh, and whatever your last name is.” Hopper barked.

“Buckley.”

“What?” Dustin turned to look at him. 

“I need you two to turn around and face me since you’re in the back, and hand me anything you need. Also, did any of you learn where arteries are in school?”

“Yeah, depending on how long the knife is, it should be okay to take out.” Robin said. “It’s not completely buried in his leg, but most of the main arteries are up higher in the thigh and closer to the inside of it.” Hopper stared at her for a second. “What? I go to the library when I get bored and read random books.”

“Okay.” Hopper nodded. He took his knife and cut Mike’s jeans around his knee, giving Hopper room to work with. The wound itself definitely didn’t look too great, and not just because there was a knife in it. “Alright, hand me another wad of gauze and someone give him a hand to squeeze.”

Robin handed him the gauze and Dustin held his hands out to Mike, who took them, slightly confused. He wasn’t confused when Hopper counted to three and yanked the knife out, though.

“Mother _fucker_ !” Mike yelled around the gauze in his mouth, squeezing the _shit_ out of Dustin’s hands. Mike rocked forward a few times as Hopper worked.

The wound wasn’t pouring blood like Hopper thought it would, but it was bleeding, and there’d definitely be a few blood stains on the carpet. As soon as he took the knife out, he put the wad of gauze against it and applied pressure. Mike whimpered and squeezed his eyes shut.

“I’m sorry kid.” Hopper told him. “I need another was but of the wider gauze.” Hopper said to Robin, who quickly handed it to him. “And now tape.” she ripped off a few pieces and he wrapped the gauze up tightly with the medical tape, slightly relieved that blood wasn’t immediately soaking through the gauze.

Mike spit the gauze out and stared at Hopper.

“You _suck_.” he slurred, before promptly passing out against the window, hands falling from Dustin's and into his lap.

“Hop!” Dustin shrieked. “Oh my God, did he die? Oh my God.”

“He just passed out, Jesus Christ, Henderson.” Hopper shook his head. “I figured it’d happen soon, I’m surprised it didn’t happen _sooner_.”

Hopper carefully moved Mike so that he was lying down, and put one of the regular sized towels he didn’t use under Mike’s head for a pillow. He made sure that the blankets were tucked around him and leaned against the back window, running a hand through his hair.

“So….” Steve started, after a few minutes of silence. “How long is this drive?”

* * *

**_Murray’s Warehouse_ **

Murray pulled his usual shit when they arrived, making them look at the camera and ask questions before letting them in.

“Why didn’t you say there was an injured child? I’d have let you in immediately!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. 

“Oh shut it, Baldy.”

“It’s too late for a six year old to be out, what are you doing here?”

“I’m eleven, you bald headed bastard.” she huffed, and sat down in a chair. He made a face and nearly fell when he realized that it was _Hopper_ who was helping carry the injured kid. 

“ _Jim_?” he gasped. “I thought you were dead!”

“Nope. Where can we put him?” he gestured to the kid.

“Uh, on the couch.” he pointed. Hopper and Steve put Mike on the couch, and Hopper lifted Mike’s legs and sat under them, elevating them slightly.

“Jim-I-Where have you _been_?” Murray asked, sitting across from him.

“The Upside Down.” he replied, leaning back on the couch, finally able to relax a bit.

“You say it so casually.” Dustin said, making a face.

“I’m tired, Henderson, give me a break.”

“Understandable.”

“What should we do?” Steve asked. “Do we call Mrs. Byers?” Hopper ran a hand through his hair.

“I don’t know.” he sighed. “I… I want to see her and El as soon as possible, but… what time is it?”

“Going on eleven thirty.” Dustin replied, checking his watch.

Hopper bit his lip, there was a slight chance that Joyce could be up- it took her awhile to fall asleep back before July happened, but now… he didn’t know.

“One of you call her.” he decided. “If everyone thinks I’m dead, well… I don’t think me calling out of the blue would be a good thing.”

“I got you. Hey Murray, do you have any food? If so, you should make Hopper something because who knows what he’s been eating.”

“Oh God, _please_ , I need something other than deformed rabbit and deer.” everyone cringed at that, but didn’t ask questions. Murray got up to make him food, and Dustin called Joyce. It took two tries, but she eventually answered.

“Hello? Who is this?” Joyce asked, voice rough from sleep.

“Mrs. Byers! Hi, it’s Dustin!”

“Dustin? Why are you still awake? It’s late.”

“Well, we have a few problems and a surprise for you guys and we require your assistance as soon as possible.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’d rather not say on the phone. Know what I mean?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows even though she couldn’t see him.

“Oh. It can’t wait until tomorrow? We were planning on leaving to come your way.”

“Uh no, I don’t think so. We like, really need your assistance- ask Will, if a party member requires assistance-”

“Yeah I know. Who are you with right now?”

“Oh we’re at Murrays.” he replied. “The rest of the Scoops and I plus two others plus Murray himself.”

“Even Erica?”

“Even Erica.”

“Jesus Christ, Dustin, why do you have the poor girl out so late?”

“Have you met this child? She won’t take no for an answer Mrs. Byers!”

“Good point. Is it really that important?”

“Mrs. Byers. I can tell that if you had already been awake for a while that you’d be realizing what I’m telling you, so I’m going to narrow it down and I’m sorry if I seem disrespectful but… bad men. And that’s just one problem.”

“You’ve gotta be shitting me.”

“Nope, now, get our lil buddies awake and get your asses to Murray’s as soon as possible. And maybe bring Will’s friend Luis, we might need him.” 

When El and Will visited last month, they brought Luis along, and he told them about his powers, and showed them to them.

“We’ll be there in an hour.”


	6. Chapter Six: Someone Saves the Day… and Nearly Shits Themselves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have just realized that I am an entire idiot, and wrote Mike getting kidnapped twice. Fun fact, I thought I lost the first version, so there's that. If you go back to chapter three where Mike is snatched, well,it's gone now, because I'm sticking with the second version. I can NOT believe how much of an idiot I truly am. I looked for that bitch for SO long and it wasn't supposed to happen yet DX
> 
> This one isn't anything like the last one, definitely not as actiony. We figure out some things, everyone discusses what they've been dealing with.

**Thursday, February 13, 1986**

The car ride to Murray's was a quiet one for the most part. When they first got in the car, on the way to pick Luis up, El and Will asked Joyce question after question until she finally told them what Dustin told her, and that was it.

"It's got to be the Upside Down again." Will said. "If we need Luis."

"I don't know, Will." Joyce shrugged. "I hope not."

"They know he's got powers. They don't know mine are back."

Joyce stomped on the breaks, the teens heads nearly smacking against the windows of the car.

"Your _what_ are back?" she demanded, turning to look at El in the back.

"Um, my powers?" she shrugged.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"She didn't want to jinx it, mom." Will said. "She didn't want to get her hopes up and they go away again. She can't really do much yet."

"'I can." she nodded. "I've been practicing and I'm almost like I was, just… get weak quicker again."

Joyce just sighed and turned back around, taking off again, towards Luis' house. It took both El and Will at Luis' bedroom window to get him awake and then out, but they got him, and they were on their way. Will filled Luis in as best he could, but there wasn't much to tell yet.

"I'm not happy no one told me about Luis, either." she said, and left it at that.

Well, she wouldn't be too happy to know that they weren't the only ones keeping secrets from her. It wouldn't be long now, however, that that last secret is revealed to her.

When they arrived at Murray's, Luis had to be woken up again, and as he did so, Joyce went and banged on Murray's door.

"Do _not_ pull your bullshit on me tonight, Murray, and open the damn door!" she yelled. The door flew open and Murray stood there, grinning.

"Hello." he said. She gave him a deadpan look. She looked around him and saw everyone accounted for, including Mike. Who was asleep on the couch and beaten up.

"What the _hell_ happened to him?" she exclaimed, pushing past Murray and rushing over to Mike, crouching next to him.

More footsteps followed quickly after Joyce's loud question, and multiple gasps followed, and El was immediately by his side. She covered her mouth with one hand and held her hand over his face for a moment, before gently placing her hand on his cheek.

"What _happened_?" she demanded, looking at the closest person next to them. Steve.

"He may or may not have been kidnapped. And tortured." Steve said, squinting as he said it. El stared at him for a moment before looking back at Mike. She caught sight of the split lip first, then the stained blood around his nose, and his bruised right eye.

"That's not even the worst of it." Steve said.

"Uh uh." Dustin shook his head at Steve. "Shut up."

"Just telling the truth, _jeez_."

"You said two other people." Joyce said to Dustin. "I'm assuming Mike is one of them."

"Yeah." Dustin nodded. "Come out!" he yelled, and pointed her in the right direction.

She gasped at the sight of the man who came out of the bathroom. El looked up and fell from her crouching position.

"What the hell." El whispered.

"Don't tell me they've got you swearing too." Hopper joked weakly. El's eyebrows pinched together as Joyce just sat there with her hands over her mouth. "Not gonna give me a hug-?" he barely finished the question before El launched herself at him, knocking him into the wall and nearly to the ground.

"I thought the black hole got you!" she cried into his chest. He hugged her back tightly. "We thought you _died_!"

"Nah, can't get rid of me that easily kid." Hopper chuckled into her hair. "I'm alright, okay? And Mike is gonna be alright, everyone's gonna be alright."

"You're stupid." she mumbled. He chuckled.

"Hey, you don't even know the full story yet!" he retorted. She sniffed and giggled a little.

"Your beard is tickling my forehead." she said, looking up at him. He snorted. She pulled back a bit and he was able to get a good look at her. She was a little taller, her hair was longer, and her face sharper, more adult-like.

"You look different." he said. "But good different."

"So do you, but I don't like it. You're too skinny."

"There weren't exactly eggos or chocolate in the Upside Down." he shrugged. She punched him in the arm. "Ow!"

"That's where you were?" she exclaimed. "This _whole_ time?" Hopper nodded.

"Mike asked me if-if you might have done that." Joyce said quietly, glancing at the- actually passed out- teen next to her. "If you had jumped in through the gate- and I told him _no_." she buried her face in her hands. El let Hopper go and he crouched in front of Joyce. He looked at the group around them and pointed towards the door- telling them to go outside or go somewhere and give them a minute alone. Steve sat there for an extra few seconds before realizing everyone was getting up and leaving, and he rushed to follow. Hopper got Joyce to move over to the chairs and they sat across from each other, and El sat next to Mike on the floor, resting her head against his arm.

"Look, Joyce, I didn't want to do what I did." he told her. "And I knew, that if I didn't, I'd die."

"I know! And- and you looked _ready_ to go."

"Well, I… I was, for a short time. But I thought of you, and El… and how someone had to be around to keep up with the three inches rule." Hopper glanced at El who rolled her eyes at him.

"We always leave it three inches." she said. "Even if it's us and our friends."

"Trust me, I made sure they honored your rule, even though I didn't have to." Joyce chuckled, wiping at her eyes. She'd let a few tears fall, but that was it.

"I, uh, I figured that El would have been able to find me. You know, in the void?" he said quietly. El's attention snapped towards them and she bit her lip.

"My powers, they… they went away for a while." she said. "I used them a lot that day and… they just stopped working until last month." she ran a hand through her hair. "I wanted to look, just in case you were _somewhere_ but I couldn't, and now I feel horrible because I could've gotten you out sooner."

"No, no, El, don't feel bad. You couldn't have known." Hopper shook his head at her.

"It's hard not to." she sniffed. "And I should have known something was up with him." she looked at Mike, who had barely moved a muscle since they arrived. "He's been acting weird lately."

"I have a reason for that." Joyce said, biting her lip as El and Hopper looked at her. "He called me last week, and… told me the magnets were moving."

"He saw!" Hopper exclaimed, and then slapped a hand over his mouth. "That little shit."

"So _you_ were moving magnets on Mike's fridge?" Joyce asked. Hopper nodded. El just stared at the two.

"Why?"

"I was trying to contact him." Hopper said simply.

"He didn't tell me." El said, looking down at her boyfriend.

"I'm sure he had good reason not to, Honey." Joyce told her. "He… he didn't sound good on the phone when he called. He probably didn't wanna get your hopes up. Just let him explain when he wakes up, okay?" El nodded.

"Speaking of waking up." Murray knocked on the door frame. "It's going on one in the morning now, and there's a five year old about to pass out on the kid who has nice hair.

"I'm _eleven_ asshole!" Erica yelled.

"So let's try and figure out some sleeping arrangements, shall we? There's my bed, which I wouldn't give up to anyone, so sorry about that, the guest bed that can probably squeeze three people, the pull out couch that the unconscious child is on, and the other couch. Talk amongst yourselves- Jim, I'm gonna go try and find some clothes from my fat phase." Murray promptly went into his bed room and shut the door behind him as everyone else came back in. Then he popped back out. "I have some sleeping bags, extra pillows and blankets in the closet across from the bathroom." the door shut again.

"I can, uh, I'll take the floor." Steve said.

"Same, I'm used to sleeping on the floor." Dustin agreed.

"Well that's two down." Luis and Will raised their hands. "Four down. You guys can get the sleeping bags." Hopper said, standing and going to grab them. There were four- five total, but one was old and ragged and would probably tear apart.

"I think we could squeeze on the couch?" Robin said to Erica. "Our heads on different ends." Erica nodded.

"I don't really move much when I sleep. My mom has thought I was dead before." Without another word, she dropped onto one side of the couch and curled up into a ball. Joyce got the pillows and blankets and handed them out as Hopper helped the boys get their sleeping bags set up.

"Steve." El said, and he turned to her. "Will you help me?" she asked, pointing at Mike.

"Help how?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Pick Mike up." she said. "I can get the pull out set up for him."

"He too heavy for ya, Stevie?" Robin joked as she got comfortable on the couch. He shot her a glare and shook his head.

"He's like a literal stick- like one of those long ones that big dog at the dog park tried to take home. Easy peasy." he leaned down and scooped Mike up into his arms, blankets and all. Mike squirmed a little and Steve grimaced, knowing he was probably hurt under all the blankets. Will helped El with the pull out and made it up a bit, and Steve put Mike back down on it. El managed to get the blankets unwrapped- how, Steve did _not_ know, because he was in one of those baby cocoon things.

"What's a baby cocoon called?" he asked no one.

"Swaddle." Joyce replied instantly.

"Yeah that. That's what he looked like." he said as he got into his sleeping bag. Joyce huffed out a laugh as she put a pillow under Mike's head, and he leaned into her touch, even completely out like he was. She smiled sadly. El spread the blankets out over him and then stood on the other side of the bed, and looked between Hopper and Joyce.

"Can I?" she asked, pointing at the empty space. Joyce looked at Hopper, who looked like he wanted to say no, but said,

"Of course, kid. Just be careful not to jostle him around. In the morning I need to check him out and make sure he doesn't have any more injuries he didn't tell me about when he was out of it earlier." he told her. She smiled and rushed around the back of the couch to hug him.

"Thank you, dad." she mumbled into his chest. He hugged her back and patted the back of her head gently.

"You're welcome, kid. But let it be known that this will _not_ be an all the time thing, you hear? It's only because he's passed out and wouldn't try anything." he tried to joke but she gave him a glare.

"Mike wouldn't do anything." she said. "Other than kiss or hold hands with me."

"Exactly." she rolled her eyes and huffed, smacking his shoulder lightly and then going to lay down beside Mike.

"Goodnight." she said quietly.

"Goodnight, El." he replied, ruffling her hair.

He and Joyce walked towards the guest room together, and stopped in the doorway.

"You, uh, you can take the bed. I don't mind one of the chairs."

"Nonsense. You sleep in the bed. I know it's been a while since you have." Hopper shrugged at that, and repeated,

"I don't mind. Or we could… share? It's big enough."

"I don't mind that."

"Just go to bed!" Dustin yelled. Joyce snickered and looked at Hopper like "why not?"

The two crawled into bed once Murray finally brought Hopper some clothes, and it didn't take them long to fall asleep.

* * *

_**The next morning, Murray's Warehouse** _

The wake up call the next morning was absolutely not peaceful. At all.

It was nearing lunch time when the Mike woke up, and the second he opened his eyes, he was puking into a bucket that Murray had left- just in case, and swearing between wretches.

"What the fuck?" he managed. "What the _fuck_."

"Mike, you're okay." El told him, brows furrowed in worry, a hand on his back.

"Oh my God, oh my God, don't you _dare_ puke on me, Wheeler." Steve shrieked, waking everyone else up.

"Wha's going on?" Luis mumbled as he sat up.

"Mike's throwing up." El replied.

"As if it's not obvious!" Steve exclaimed.

"The hell is going on? Why is Harrington yelling?" Hopper rushed in, stopping behind the couch. "Oh."

Joyce came in behind him and gasped once she saw Mike, and rushed over to him. She sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his back comfortingly until he stopped.

"We're at Murray's." she told Mike softly, glancing at everyone else. "You're okay, and everyone's here."

"That doesn't- wretch- make me feel any- ohmygod- better."

"Someone go get a water bottle and a wet rag." Hopper barked. Erica ran to get it and everyone else got up and moved away from the vomiting boy to give him space.

It was still a few minutes after Hopper received the items he asked for before Mike finally stopped throwing up, and slowly sat up.

"What the fuck."

"Stop saying fuck." Hopper handed him the rag and Mike wiped his mouth and around his face. He was handed the water and gargled some, before spitting it into the bucket and then taking an actual drink.

"The real question is." Mike said, lifting his head up to look Hopper dead in the eye. "What the _fuck_." Hopper tried to hide his smile by scratching at his nose, and was not successful, letting out a chuckle, his face lighting up.

"Christ kid, haven't lost that bite yet, have you?"

"Nope." Mike shook his head.

"So… who's hungry?" Murray asked. Everyone began murmuring to each other and nodding at Murray, and Mike just flopped back down on the bed and buried his face in El's stomach. He let out a small noise after jostling his arm and she smiled sadly, running her fingers through his hair.

"Murray, you got anything for nausea?" Joyce asked as she rummaged through the kitchen cabinets.

"Yeah, third cabinet somewhere on the bottom shelf." he replied. "I've got enough eggs to feed you vultures, and bread to make toast, but you've gotta help me restock once this is all over and done with."

"Whatever, Murray." Hopper huffed.

Everyone bustled around, cleaning up the living room and taking turns cleaning up in the bathroom, and left Mike and El to their own devices for the most part, after Joyce gave him medicine. El rested against the back of the couch and Mike let his head rest on her stomach, fingers constantly moving through them.

"Still pretty." she whispered to him. He furrowed his brows and looked up at her. "With bruises. You're still pretty."

"Oh." he blushed, cheeks turning a bright red.

"Who?" she asked, a few seconds later. "Who did this?" he stiffened at the question.

"Um-" he didn't have a chance to come up with anything before Hopper was swooping in and saving the day- again.

"Hey, that's, uh, I don't think it's a good time to talk about that just yet. We should probably wait until we get everyone together."

Mike nodded in agreement, and sat up, but still staying close to his girlfriend, who raised her eyebrows at the two. "Like Max and Lucas, Nancy, Jon. Nancy and Jon have been acting pretty shady lately, though, so… who knows where they're at."

Hopper looked away for a second and made a face, and turned back and shrugged.

"I couldn't tell ya, kid. Haven't been around."

"How _did_ you get out? How'd you know I was there?" Mike asked.

"Another thing we'll have to wait on." Hopper replied, his word final. "Either of you want anything to drink?"

* * *

_**The Wheeler's House  
Six hours later** _

"I need to tell her, Jon." Nancy whispered to him suddenly. "I'm starting to show, she's gonna find out eventually." The two were sitting in the Wheeler's living room, watching Holly play with her toys, and Karen was in the kitchen making dinner.

They'd had a doctor's appointment today, and got their first ultrasound and first measurement.

"What?" Jonathan asked, and before he could say another word Nancy jumped up and damn near sprinted into the kitchen. He stood too and followed quickly.

"What is it?" Karen asked, alarmed at the speed they were going. Nancy bit her lip for a second, balling her fists up.

"I'm pregnant." she blurted. Karen cut her finger the second the word left her daughters mouth.

"Son of a bitch." she hissed. " _What_?" she exclaimed.

Before either of them could explain themselves, the lights began flickering, Holly screamed at the top of her lungs and ran into the kitchen, hiding behind Jonathan.

"Monster in the wall! Monster in the wall!" she wailed. Jonathan and Nancy looked at each other. Jonathan kept Holly behind him and Nancy slowly crept towards the living room, just barely peeking through the doorway and gasped. A large, monstrous hand was reaching out of the wall, goo dripping down it's fingers.

"It's the _Demogorgon_." Nancy hissed to Jonathan as she rushed back.

"What? How?"

"What is going _on_?" Karen demanded. Holly was crying behind Jonathan. "Is there someone in our house?"

"Something. Mom, we need to get out of here. Like now." Nancy said, and before any of them could make a move, the Demogorgon shrieked and Karen let out a gasp. Holly screamed. "The blood, Jonathan, the blood is attracting it. Mom, wrap your finger in a rag."

"We need to burn it somehow." Jonathan told her. "I have matches."

"There's lighter fluid in the garage." Nancy said, and ran to the door, not caring that the force she used caused another hole in the wall from the doorknob. She began rummaging through every box and looking at the shelves. She couldn't remember where it was. She heard screaming and swore.

"Holly, come here, baby!" Karen begged as she watched the hand slowly wrap around the door frame, long fingers, sharp claws on display.

"No, no, no." the little girl sobbed. Jonathan slowly walked backwards with her, trying to get to the backdoor, but before he could take another step, the demogorgon rushed in with a screech, knocking them both onto the floor. It creeps closer to the two, both of them scrambling back, and were trapped when they hit the wall.

"No." Karen whispered. She looked at her hand and remembered what Nancy said about blood. Without a second thought, Karen grabbed the knife she was using and cut her forearm, the blood dripping down her arm. It immediately caught the Demogorgon's attention and it moved towards her, squeals and growls coming from it as it got closer. Jonathan stood up and helped Holly up.  
"I've got it!" Nancy yelled. She ran in and started spraying the hell out of it. "Jonathan!" she yelled. He took the matches out and lit the whole damn pack.

Karen took the knife she held and stabbed it in the neck when it got too close and it screeched, loud and deafening.

"Mom, move!" Nancy yelled. Karen jumped out of the way as Jonathan threw the matches at the Demogorgon and it went up in flames, screaming and writhing, slowly sinking to the floor until it disappeared.

Most of the flames went with it, but Jonathan had to stomp some of it out. Karen stared at him as he did so, breathing hard from her place on the floor.

"What the hell. Jonathan, why is it back?" Nancy asked, leaning on her knees to catch her breath. Holly sat in the corner, curled up in a ball, just barely peeking out from behind her hands.

"I don't know."

"I thought El killed it!"

"I don't know, Nancy. Shit." he wiped at the sweat on his face and helped Karen up.

"What in the _hell_ just happened?" she demanded, rushing over to Holly and picking her up. "What _was that_? _Who_ is El?"

Nancy and Jonathan looked at each other.

"We have _a lot_ to talk about."

Before Karen could put another word in, the front door slammed open.

"Nancy! Jonathan!" Mike yelled. The teen walked- or well, _limped_ into the kitchen, practically being held up by El. The two were followed by a group of people. "Oh shit I forgot mom would be home today." Mike glanced at everyone behind him nervously. "Sorry."

"You've had a rough few hours, it's understandable." Hopper patted him on the shoulder.

"Hopper?" Karen, Jonathan and Nancy exclaimed in unison.

"What in the _hell_ happened here?" Mike asked, looking at the slightly smoking floor and destroyed kitchen.

"Mikey!" Holly shrieked, reaching her arms out for him. "The monster tried to get us!"

"I- Holly I can't pick you up." Mike told her, reaching down and putting his hand on her cheek. She gave him a confused look, despite the tears. "I hurt my leg and my arm." he told her gently. He leaned down as best as he could and hugged her tightly. "What happened." he demanded. He looked at his mom and saw her arm bleeding. "Shit, mom, what happened to your arm? Someone tell me what the hell happened! Don't just stare at Hop like he's got two heads!"

"We thought he was dead!" Nancy threw her arms in the air.

"We all thought El was dead too but we didn't just stand there and stare for five damn minutes."

"Who is El?" Karen yelled. El timidly raised her hand. "What _happened_ to you, Michael? You weren't in your bed this morning and you're all beat up! I want, no, I _need_ answers. My house is pretty much destroyed, my daughter is scarred for life, my other two kids have two big surprises for me in one day, neither I'm happy about, so stop _arguing_ and tell me what the _hell_ is going on!"

"What was _your_ surprise?" Mike asked Nancy. She paled slightly and glanced at Jonathan.

"It's not important right now. How is Hopper here?"

"Well if you and Jonathan were actually around and helping us with this bullshit, and not sneaking around doing whatever the hell you're doing, you'd know."

"Goddammit, Mike, stop being a smart ass little shit and let's _all_ talk."

"Let's all calm down and sit down so we can explain to Karen that we're not a bunch of lunatics, okay?" Joyce said. "It seems like we've all had our fair share of trauma in the last couple hours, so I think _everyone_ needs to try and relax for two seconds." she suggested. A few huffs came from the group, and everyone moved to the living room.

"Here, Holly, wanna draw with Will for a little bit in the dining room? The monster is gone and won't come back." Mike looked at Will who nodded in agreement. He didn't want to think about what happened to him any more than he had to.

"Do you promise?" she whispered to him.

"I promise." he told her. She nodded and he let her go. She ran over to Will and dragged him into the dining room.

"Well, let's get this show on the road." Murray said, clapping his hands. Mike glared at him and El helped him back up.

A few extra chairs were brought in so no one would have to sit on the floor, and Mike and El sait in Ted's Lay-Z-Boy so Mike could keep his leg up. Dustin ran over to Lucas' house and found not only Lucas, but Max, who was wearing his clothes, which was not at all suspicious, but Dustin decided not to tease them until later.

"Wheeler! Where the _hell_ have you been?" Max shrieked as she saw the teen. She grabbed a throw pillow and whacked him in the face with it.

"Dude!" Mike exclaimed, taking the pillow and whacking her right back with it. "As if my nose isn't broken enough!"

"You're nose isn't broken, kid." Hopper snorted, rolling his eyes.

"I bet you it is now, see, my nose is bleeding again!" Mike stuck a bloody finger in Hopper's direction.

"Damn, the hell happened to you?" Max asked, leaning in close to inspect the damage.

"He got kidnapped." Dustin said. "And his ass beat."

"He had a knife lodged in his leg." Steve said. "He made that _very_ clear to us."

"What the _fuck_."

Joyce, Hopper and Murray explained everything, the teens jumping in every once in a while with their own stories, as Hopper took care of Karen's arm. The retelling ended right after the battle at the mall, and it was silent as Karen comprehended everything.

"So… do you believe us?" Mike asked, cringing a little it the wobble in his voice. She looked at him and opened and closed her mouth a few times, before finally shutting it and nodded sharply.

"Now, it's time to explain your side of the story in all this, too. How did you find Hopper?" Murray demanded, not giving Karen a chance to say anything. Everyone turned to look at him and his face flushed, not liking the attention.

Hopper sensed his discomfort and jumped in.

"I think I should tell my shit first." he said. "Because technically, I found Mike."

"Yeah." Mike agreed.

"It would make more sense, really." Lucas said. "Cause that happened like right after everything else."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Go ahead, Jim." Murray said.

"Well, I… I don't know how long it was after I jumped in. I woke up outside the middle school gym, near the woods. I remember just thinking _What the hell was I thinking?_ And I heard a screech and just booked it to the gym. One of the doors was hanging off its hinges, and I had to fix it, but I'll get into that later." Hopper said, looking at each person around the room. He continued on for a few minutes, before saying, "Nothing ever attacked me. A lot of things came sniffing around the gym but never tried to come in. Some days nothing ever walked around, and I was able to go find food or clothes and stuff, and some days, from five to ten would walk by. All going in the same direction, near the lab."

"Where the first gate was opened." Robin said, having listened to the entire story intently. It had been the first time she was told about the first two years in full. Hopper nodded.

"But that's not where they were going. I don't know where they were, really." he shrugged. "But, eventually, I started, uh, wandering around and ended up, well, I ended up here."

"That's not weird at all." Nancy muttered.

"And then I… I started hearing you talk. All of you. It was in November, the first time I heard anything from the real world. A bang, and then Karen started calling to Mike. I yelled _hey_ and no one heard me."

The second the words left his mouth, Mike looked like he was having a seizure.

"I knew it, I fuckin knew it." he muttered, smacking the arm of the chair. "I _heard_ that.'

"Why didn't you say anything?" Hopper asked.

"I thought I was just hearing shit!"

Hopper sighed and shook his head. "That was the first time I moved the magnets."

"See, I told you assholes I wasn't going insane." Mike huffed.

"Come on man, you've got to know that it sounded a little weird at the time." Lucas said. Mike just crossed his arms and motioned for Hopper to continue.

"The day you heard someone humming, Mike, it was me." Hopper asked. "And I asked if you could hear me. And then El said it was probably your dad, and then you said you think your house was haunted."

"How much did you _hear_?" he squeaked.

"Enough." he replied. He glanced at Nancy and Jonathan, who were staring at him in horror. "I heard a lot of things." Nancy grabbed Jonathan's hand and squeezed it, and Hopper turned from them. "It wasn't just here, though. I could hear other families talking, sometimes just in the street. It was louder in some places, incredibly quiet in others."

"Hop." Mike deadpanned. "Did you hear me getting kidnapped."

"I did." Hopper replied. "And I… well, I booked it to the lab and didn't waste a second going in after. But… before I went in I heard this… loud, incredibly loud screeching and I look behind me, and in the distance, where all the monsters were going, a long, dark shadowy arm, whatever you want to call it, shooting up into the sky, with others following."

"The Mind Flayer." Dustin whispered.

"And I went in, and I got to the original gate." he explained everything that happened with finding it and then going through it. "And then, then right outside that zipper, were cages with adult Demogorgons inside them. You would expect there to be guards, right? Well there weren't any around." he went on to explain how he didn't know how to get out without getting caught, so he decided to release one of them. "That's why I have a flamethrower. The fuckers were smart, and figured out that fire hurt them, and that's the _only_ way I got out of _that_ alive."

"I remember, after uh, after I got stabbed in the leg, alarms started going off." Mike said, biting his lip. "And the guy that _did_ it, took off and… left me with him." he glanced at El, who's brows were furrowed.

"Who?" she asked.

"Well, um, after I released it, I managed to find the room Mike was in." Hopper ignored her question for a moment. "And I open the door and… Martin Brenner was standing in front of him." El stared at him for a moment.

"What?" she whispered. Hopper nodded.

"Brenner's alive. El… I, I promise you I didn't know. We all thought he was dead." Hopper told her. She nodded.

"What happened next?" she said.

"Hopper beat the shit out of him." Mike answered for him. "I didn't know who the hell he was, but he beat the shit out of him."

"And Mike was in the background squirming and trying to move but he was tied to a chair, and he hurt himself and then, and only then, did I stop beating Brenner's face in, and turn to look at him. I knocked Brenner out, and then helped Mike as best I could and then we got out. Then, at the fence outside, we found those four." he gestured to the scoops, who began their story of how they figured out Mike was kidnapped.

"Well then." Max muttered. "Full circle, I guess?" she shrugged.

"How?" Dustin asked.

"I don't think that's the term I'm looking for but you get my point." she replied.

"What do you remember, Mike?" Steve asked, and all the attention was back on him.

"Um. I don't remember a lot." Mike said, biting at his thumb nail. "I remember someone knocking on the door and I opened it because I was the only one home. And… Brenner and some other men were standing there and he was just like, "It's nice to see you again, you're coming with us."" Mike mocked. "They knocked me out with, with chloroform, wasn't it?" he looked at Hopper, who nodded. "And I remember bits and pieces after that. Like, I remember them hitting me and shit, cutting me and then stabbing me in the leg, and I was pretty out of it."

"You're mind went out the window." Hopper said.

"Yeah. I was talking back and shit, like, I told the Russian guy his breath stunk and that I'd puke on him- he punched me in the stomach like right after I puked _because_ I puked. I think I called them stupid too? Because they asked one question and then brought out the knife."

"So they didn't drug you up?" Dustin asked. "Other than the chloroform at least."

"I don't think so, no."

Hopper eyed the teen from where he was standing. He didn't mention that he had a gun to his head. But then again, neither had Hopper.

"Anything else you remember?" Hopper asked. Mike glanced at him and bit his thumb nail again.

"Um…" he shook his head. "I might remember later, I mean… I just woke up like six hours ago." he said. "Half of which I was either puking or freaking out because I forgot where I was and that I got fricking shanked in the leg and that Hopper was alive." he huffed. "Anyone else wanna step up and tell their story?" he asked sarcastically. Lucas and Max raised their hands and he gave them a deadpan look. "The hell happened to you guys?"

"Um, well…" they looked at each other. "Funny story, actually-" Lucas started.

"Funny my _ass_! Alright, Wheeler, after your ass got kidnapped, I came to your house to make you take me to the pool so we could break in, right?" Max started. "And Lucas had already tried to talk to you but you obviously weren't home, so we went and broke into the pool-"

" _Why'd_ you break into the pool, exactly?" Hopper asked.

"She wanted to get something of Billy's." Lucas replied.

"Anyways, we got there, I picked some locks, got what I needed, and Lucas and I talked some and then this huge fucking _spider_." she said, hands moving as she talked. "Knocked something down in the back room and _then_ tried to come at us but it got stuck in the door, and we ran, and it chased us. Me, being the idiot I am, turned to look back at it and fell in the pool."

"But the pool is like... Disgusting." Nancy cringed.

"My point exactly."

"She fell in the pool, and the spider- we've named it a Demospider because why not?" Lucas shrugged. "The Demospider didn't like water, at all, so I yelled at Max to swim to the other side and I like, ran up behind it and kicked it, and I'm not strong enough to _actually_ kick it in the water, but I guess I scared it and it fell in."

"Don't tell me there's a giant Demospider at the bottom of the pool." Dustin whined.

"There's a giant Demospider at the bottom of the pool."

"You kids and your demo-this, demo-that." Murray huffed. "It's ridiculous. These are game characters, monsters."

"Actually, the only monster with demo in the name in the game, is the Demogorgon." Mike said. "So suck on that. Would you rather us call them Jerry? Or Dennis?"

"Michael!" Karen scolded.

"What?" he asked, scowling. Dustin was trying not to laugh, as was Lucas and Max, who had half their faces underneath the collars of their shirts, covering it up. Even Hopper was trying not to laugh. "Next time I see one of the monsters I'm just gonna call it Tim."

"Jeez, kid, I was just saying."

" _I was just saying_." Mike mocked under his breath. "I don't like you. You never get Erica's age right."

"Thank you. At least someone agrees with me!" Erica exclaimed. Mike nodded to her.

"She calls me bald every time she says something to me!" Murray retorted.

"She's not wrong." Mike said, raising his eyebrows at him.

"Jim, tell this child to stop insulting me."

"Oh no, you called me fat last night, he can talk all the shit he wants." Hopper replied, winking at Mike, who grinned at him. "Besides, I'm sure he has a lot of pent up emotions after the last 16 hours."

"No kidding." Mike huffed. "And stop calling me a child, I'm fifteen." he grumbled, crossing his arms, grimacing after pulling at the cuts on his arm.

"Murray, stop arguing with my son." Murray just pouted like the grown man he is and didn't say another word. "Mike, you also need to chill just a tiny bit." she said. He shrugged, and then swore under his breath, moving his arm a bit.

"And you've started bleeding again." Hopper sighed. "Let me see the first aid kit, I'll fix you up." Karen gave it to him and he walked over to Mike, who rolled up his sleeve slightly. Hopper took the bandages off and grimaced, and Karen gasped.

"What the hell did they do to you?" she asked, as if he hadn't just told them.

"You should see his leg." Dustin piped up.

"You're not helping either, Dustin." Joyce scolded quietly.

"Sorry." Dustin snorted a little but quieted.

"Can I… try something?" El asked, looking at her dad. He raised an eyebrow but nodded, moving out of the way. She stood from her spot next to Mike and went to his other side She looked at Mike, who raised an eyebrow at her but nodded for her to do whatever she was gonna do. She held his arm gently in her hands and focused her energy on the gashes. Slowly, but surely, they started closing up, and Mike gasped, and let out a whine at the pain. It took a few moments for them both to be closed, but it worked, and all that was left were two long scabs.

"How in the f-" Mike muttered and looked at El. "Your powers are back?" he asked. She blushed and nodded.

"Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't tell you yet." she said quietly.

"What? No, I mean, I'm not mad. I told you they would!" he smiled at her. She smiled back.

"I'll do your leg too." she said.

"How the hell did you do that?" Dustin asked.

"Well, she did close the gate, didn't she?" Luis asked, speaking up for the first time since they arrived. "It was almost like closing up a wound, I guess."

"True, but if she could close the gate completely, how come she could heal Mike's?" Lucas asked.

"Because the gate was still healing." Murray said. "That's what Alexei said, at least. So it makes sense that she can close open wounds, but not heal them. She doesn't have the healing power."

"Oh. True." Lucas nodded in understanding.

"Does it feel weird?" Nancy asked her brother.

"It doesn't feel good!" he replied. She cringed at the pinched up face he made.

"I'm sorry." El told him once she was done.

"No it's, it's okay." he told her. "Thank you." she gave him another smile and stood up.

"I, um…. I think I need a minute." she said. "To… digest?" it came out like a question. "Because Brenner's alive." everyone nodded, knowing that it had to be a big shock to her.

"You can go to the basement, if you want. The fort is still up." Mike told her. She knew this, of course, because she knew he wouldn't take it down, but his mom had been wanting to take it down.

"El's fort, huh?" Karen looked at her son, who blushed and crossed his arms.

"We'll come down in a little while and check on you." Mike told his girlfriend, who nodded and kissed his cheek, before making her way down to the basement.

"Well, I think we all need to break off and have conversations of our own." Hopper said, standing up and looking around the room. "For example, Nancy, Jonathan, I think you two need to have a chat with both your moms." he said. Karen's eyes narrowed and nodded in agreement, and Joyce looked confused.

"Yes, we definitely do."


	7. Chapter Seven: Fourth Times the Charm?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so everything medical related I've learned from Grey's Anatomy in the last like three weeks, and a shit ton of research so, any of those medical people that read (Ahem, Sian if she ever reads this) don't murder me in the comments (or group chat) please and thank you :D (This especially goes for next chapter just fyi xD)

While Nancy and Jonathan talked to their moms upstairs, everyone else stayed in the living room, and Mike walked around a bit and checked out his cuts. They still hurt, and it was still sort of difficult to walk around, but he didn't feel like his leg was gonna give out on him anymore. According to Max, he was pacing, and he definitely wasn't. He was just walking.

"Mike, you're pacing." Lucas agreed.

"El will be fine." Luis said. "As much as she's gone through-"

"El is strong, yeah, but we also all thought that the man that tortured her and kept her locked up was dead, and today she finds out he isn't? You can't tell me that isn't fucking with her head in any way." Mike huffed.

"Look, kid, you're right, okay? We all agree on that. But if she needs someone, she'll call for us." Hopper told him.

"I know but I can't help but worry."

"You're the one we need to worry about right now, kid." Hopper crossed his arms.

"I'm _fine_." Mike said.

"No, you're not. You went through some shit last night too, Mike."

"Maybe I have, but what about the last- how many months? Seven months for you? What I just dealt with ain't shit compared to what you went through." Mike said.

Before anyone could say anything, El screamed from the basement,

"MIKE!"

* * *

When El got to the basement, she didn't waste a second before pulling out her blindfold and going for Mike's Supercom. So many thoughts and feelings had been going through her mind, and even though she hadn't done this since her powers came back, well, she just didn't really care what happened.

She sat inside the fort the Supercom on and the blindfold over her eyes, and focused. It was harder than it used to be, but she opened her eyes and she was in the void.

_El walked forward a bit, looking around but saw nothing. She debated on what to call him, and decided on,_

" _Papa." she whispered, and visions immediately started flashing around. Brenner getting attacked by the Demogorgon, then him being dragged out of the school, torn up and bloody. So many other things had happened after that, and then suddenly, she was standing across from where he was sitting, in what looked like a jail cell. She heard a door unlock, and he smiled as three guards entered the cell._

" _Friends, I know you have a creature." he stated calmly. "I recognize the shrieks."_

_El raised her eyebrows and moved to one of the empty sides of the walls._

" _We are not your friends, Martin Brenner." the leader said. "You are to be fed to the creature, whether you tell the truth or lie."_

_They were Russians. And they had a Demogorgon._

_Two other guards grabbed Brenner by the arms and hauled him out of the cell._

" _I know how to get more for you. I know where the creature's are located."_

" _Why should I believe you?" the leader asked._

" _Because… my daughter created them. Created the world with them in it. She can and she will make more if I ask her to."_

 _El's mouth dropped open at that.  
_" _What is your daughter's name?"_

" _El. Short for Eleven."_

_She felt pure rage as he used the exact same wording as Mike had used when he gave her her nickname. She swiped her hand and the vision disappeared, only for another to come up._

" _I believed she was the only one who could, but they breed like other animals, albeit much faster, it seems. She created the world and the species, and any other creature inside it, she can control it all once we find her. Any luck?" Brenner asked, turning to another man, who shook his head._

" _We've looked all over town for your daughter. We found some friends in a store, and heard them talking about where she used to live, with a man named Hopper, who died last July. We found the place, and found a picture of her and that boy." he took the picture out of his pocket and gave it to Brenner,_

" _Ah yes, Michael Wheeler." Brenner smirked. "I'm sure he knows where she is."_

"Mike." El muttered outside the void.

_Another swipe, and her stomach jumped. Brenner held a gun to Mike's head._

"No!" she gasped

" _I don't want to kill you, Michael. I want to know where Eleven is. She's mine."_

" _She's not yours. I'd rather die than tell you where she is." Mike fired back, shaking his head, not opening his eyes._

" _She is MINE!" Brenner yelled._

_Something happened and then a gunshot rang out and she let out a scream._

"MIKE!" she screamed, tearing the blindfold off. She scrambled up and out of the fort just as Mike himself darted down the stairs faster than he should have.

She stumbled into his arms, falling and dragging him down with her. "Mike!" she sobbed, grabbing his face with her hands and then feeling him all over, even going as far as pushing hair off his forehead to make sure there wasn't a bullet hole there. She sobbed into his chest, ignoring the thundering of feet coming down the stairs. Mike hugged her tightly.

"What the hell happened?" Hopper demanded, kneeling next to the couple. Everyone stayed upstairs, but it was quiet, and Mike knew they were probably listening.

"I don't know." Mike said, shaking his head and rubbing his hand up and down El's back as she sobbed. "I'm here, El. I'm here."

"He _killed_ you." she whimpered, pulling back and looking at him. Blood covered her lips and down her chin. "He shot you right here." she pointed to her own head. "I _saw_ it _happen_."

Realization dawned on the two.

"It didn't, El, I'm here. He- he didn't kill me." Mike glanced at Hopper, making El look at him. "He held a gun to my head." Mike said, finally, after a moment of quiet, the only sound heard was El's hiccuping and sniffles. "But Hopper saved me before he could do it."

"A gunshot did go off." Hopper said. "Because Brenner dropped the gun when I busted the door open, and Mike kicked it so hard it hit the wall and a shot went off."

"But he could have killed you. For real." El said, looking back at Mike, who did what she had done earlier, and put his hands on her cheeks gently.

"He didn't."

"It would have been my fault."

"El, no-"

"No, Mike, if he killed you, it would be my fault, because he was looking for _me_. He wanted _me_. Because I'm his and- and _I_ created all this. It's all _my_ fault."

"You're not _his_." he said, voice cracking. "You don't _belong to anybody._ You belong to yourself, and nothing will ever change that. None of it's your fault. You were a _kid_ , El. It's all you knew in that lab, you were scared. You didn't create anything."

"But I _did_ , Mike. Don't you understand?" she sniffed, nuzzling her face into his hands. "I created the gate."

"And so fucking what?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her. She flinched a little at that, staring at him in shock. Hopper raised an eyebrow but neither noticed. "You might have created, and opened the gate, but did you want to? No. Did you want to let out all the things that came out? Did you want people to die? To kill them? No, you didn't. It's not your fault. It's Brenner's- he's the cause of _all_ of this. And you were just sucked into it from literal fucking _birth_." his voice began cracking and his eyebrows pinched together as tears gathered in his eyes. "It's not your fault, El. It's not." he softened his voice. "I would willingly do all that over again to make sure he doesn't get to you. I'd rather die than tell him where you are." Hopper started creeping back and slowly went up the stairs, knowing damn well what was about to take place.

"I'm sorry." she whispered.

"Don't be." he whispered back. "You're amazing, and you've tried and succeeded to save us. That makes you good, okay?" she nodded, reaching up and wiping at her nose and mouth with her sleeve, before pulling him in for a kiss.

* * *

It was another twenty minutes before the two came back upstairs, and both seemed as though nothing had happened. But everyone knew better- they listened to most of it.

Before they went back up, however, Mike did take El into the bathroom and used a warm wet rag to clean the blood off her face, and El did the same back, wiping any blood she saw away that Hopper didn't get last night.

"Everything okay?" Lucas asked as the two asked, smirking up at them. Mike flicked the back of his head but Lucas just snickered.

"My powers are back." El said quietly. "They have been since January but… I've been working on them, getting stronger. I didn't want to… jinx it."

"I told you they'd come back." Mike repeated, smiling at her. She smiled back and nodded.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Only Will and Luis knew."

"And I'm pretty sure that's because we heard it happen afterwards and you kind of had to tell us." Will chuckled.

"What happened?" Dustin asked.

"I made a light bulb explode." she replied. "You know, the usual." she shrugged.

"She said she read something in an article and then it happened."

"What was it?" Mike asked. El fumbled around for a second as she reached into her pocket and brought out a folded piece of scrap paper. She unfolded it and handed it to him. "" _I let this presence ruin my life. And it was my fault, I created that presence, you know? Like in my head. And I couldn't do anything about it until I confronted my own emotions and did away with it myself."_

"I wrote it down because I didn't want to tear the magazine." she explained. Mike furrowed his brows as he read over the quote a few times.

"Your powers came back when you read this?" he asked. She nodded. He bit his lip.

"What's going on in that mind of yours?" Nancy asked, poking behind his ear. He scowled at her but didn't say anything for a moment.

"I don't know, uh, will someone hand me that notebook and a pencil?" he asked.

Steve tossed the notebook to him and Nancy handed him a pencil.

He wrote the quote into his notebook and gave it back to El, and for the next few minutes, they watched him scribble on the paper. After about ten minutes of him writing something, stopping and thinking, and then writing again, he said,

"Okay so, I pretty much just analyzed the quote as if it had to do with El's life, I guess you could say? I don't know, but, "I let this presence ruin my life" would mean like, the Mind Flayer has fucked up El's life and ours, but I'm not saying that she _let_ it happen, because what the hell? You know?" everyone just nodded, listening intently. "The "It was my fault, I created this…" I didn't do anything with because it wasn't your fault." he said to El, who shrugged a little and gave him a small smile. "And the "I couldn't do anything about it until I confronted my own emotions and did away with it myself." I feel like that entire quote is about depression, in a way, or guilt. The person who said this has to confront whatever presence that's been ruining their life and get rid of it. Obviously, our situation and that one is completely different."

"So what you're saying is… the Mind Flayer is kind of like depression in like… real form?" Steve asked.

"No! Yes, well, I don't know. We don't know _what_ the Mind Flayer is, just that it's really fucked El up along with the rest of us."

"So what's that actually gotta do with El's powers coming back after she read that?" Max asked.

"I don't know exactly but… she's gonna need them to defeat the Mind Flayer. I mean, she used her powers to open the gate to let him in. It's all connected one way or another."

"So how would El get rid of it?" Dustin asked. "I mean, it's a shadow, isn't it? Or do you think it would take solid form if it came out of the real world?"

"Yeah, like last year." Lucas added.

"I don't know, I mean, it like… melted bodies and shit and came together to form." Mike said. "It's just smoke and darkness in the Upside Down, right?"

"Well yeah." Luis said. "Maybe it is there, because nothing can touch it? You fight better when you're on your turf, I guess you could say. Like an eagle snatching something smaller off the ground, like a snake. It's harder for a snake to fight back when it's in the air. The eagle has the upper hand, quite literally."

"So what you're saying is… If we get the Mind Flayer out of the Upside Down and here, we can kill it?" Hopper asked.

"Pretty much, yeah." Luis nodded.

"But what if it's still just smoke?" Joyce asked.

"Did you not tell your family about my powers?" Luis asked Will and El, who shook their heads.

"I know of them but I don't know what you can do."

"I can control shadows." he said. "I can make shields, throw shadow bombs. I can move shadows and darkness in general. Oh, and I can shadow walk, which means I can teleport through shadows."

"So you can make the darkness under Mike's eyes go away?" Max asked, eyebrows raised. Mike grabbed the pillow he'd been hit with earlier and promptly smacked her in the face with it and she cackled. "Sorry, sorry, this is serious. I just had to." she grinned at Mike, who smacked her with it again, but in the shoulder.

"If the Mind Flayer is just made out of shadow, or if it's smoke, I can pull it out of the Upside Down." he said.

"But it's…. It's _huge_." Will said. "If it's really as big as it was in my visions, it towers over the entire town. Where would we even pull it from?"  
"The gate." El said. "I have to open it again."

"But-" Mike started.

"I'll have to." she said. "If we want to bring the Mind Flayer out. It's the only way." Mike huffed, but he knew she was right.

"What do we do now?" Nancy asked. "Just go to the lab and go for it?"

"You're not going anywhere." Karen said. "Not right now." Nancy glared at her mom.

"It's not that big of a deal, mom."

"No, you need to stay where it's safe." Joyce agreed. "You and Jonathan both do."

"Mom-" Jonathan started, but was interrupted by Mike.

"Why? Nancy's the best shot out of anyone, besides Hopper." he said.

"Yeah, she's a real badass. She can protect herself." Dustin added.

"It's not just her we're worried about." Karen told her son and his friend. Mike made a face.

"Who else is there to worry about? And why aren't you saying us "kids" need to stay where it's safe like we won't possibly get hurt or killed too?" Mike asked, crossing his arms.

"It's not that, it's just…." Karen sighed. "I don't want _any_ of you involved in this. Especially you kids. And with Nancy's condition-"

"Condition? What condition? And we're not fucking kids anymore." Mike stood up, glaring at the adults who agreed. "Physically, maybe, yeah, we're kids. Age wise, yeah. But mentally? We've seen shit no _adult_ , let alone a _kid_ should see. I've seen bodies get ripped to shreds, and I had a gun to my head not even twenty four hours ago. The shit El's seen, what Will went through. We're not kids."

"You're gonna be pissed, Mike." Nancy said, crossing her arms.

"I'm already pissed, Nance." she looked at him for a few seconds.

"I'm pregnant." she said, finally. He raised his eyebrows.

"Seriously?" he asked. She nodded. "Dad's so gonna kill you. I'm going to change."

And with that, Mike made his way towards the stairs, not hesitating to smack Jonathan in the back of the head as hard as he could. When he disappeared up the stairs, no one said anything and Nancy pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Um. congrats?" Steve said, furrowing his eyebrows. Nancy looked up at him and glared. "Damn, if looks could kill."

"If looks could kill, Mike would have killed us all a couple different times." Lucas said.

"Looks can kill." El said, and everyone looked at her.

"I mean… she's not wrong. Hers can." Max agreed.

"And yet you two would never be a thing." Murray commented, looking at Nancy and Jonathan.

"Now is not the time, Murray."

* * *

"So, a Molotov cocktail, also known as a petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, bottle bomb, poor man's grenade, Molotovin koktaili, polttopullo, fire bomb, fire bottle or just Molotov, sometimes shortened as Molly," Murray rambled.

"We don't need to know all it's names, ass hat. Molotov alone is fine." Max grumbled.

"Anyways, a Molotov cocktail is a breakable glass bottle containing a flammable substance such as petrol, alcohol, or a napalm-like mixture, with some motor oil added, and usually a source of ignition such as a cloth wick held in place by the bottle's stopper. The wick is usually soaked in alcohol or kerosene, and when lit and thrown at a target, it smashes, and on impact, it ignites whatever target you hit. It's not a bomb and won't cause major, major damage, but these things are hurt mainly by fire, so it'd be some sort of weapon against them."

"I think we'd need a lot of those, Murray." Joyce said.

"Where do you even get breakable glass bottles from? Aren't those only used for movies?" Steve asked.

"Oh no, they're used for absolute chaos. They were used in wars as well." Murray said. "And I know a guy that can get me some more. Wicks too, but you'll have to go out and buy alcohol and gas and lighters."

"Where is this guy and how long will it take for you to get them?" Hopper asked.

"I don't give out others' information, Jim." Murray said. "But an hour, tops, if I leave now. I also need a vehicle."

"Take my car." Jonathan said, and tossed him the keys.

"Scoops will go and get gas and such." Dustin said.

"Someone needs to go and find Hopper some clothes that actually fit him." Lucas said. "Because whatever you have on, man, is not working for you."

"I'm wearing one of his shirts." El said. One of his long sleeved flannels. "Mike, I'm gonna wear one of your shirts." she said, and with that, she stood and hopped up the stairs.

"O...kay?" Mike furrowed his brows. Nancy snickered and he flipped her off.

"Hey, neither of that, from either of you." Karen grumbled. "I'm not too happy with you two and your _secrets_."

"As if my secret is as bad as Mike's." Nancy rolled her eyes. "Mine is a good thing. Mike's just involves a lot of death."

"Teenage pregnancy is frowned upon, though, Nancy." Mike said, tilting his head. "What will the rest of the town say about our perfect little family?"

"Michael!" Karen scolded. He just let out a snort and shook his head.

"Oh my _God_ , if El and I were Nancy's age and El got pregnant we'd get fucking _exiled_ , _why_ is she being let off the hook for this bullshit?"

"She's not, believe me." Karen said. "And watch it, I'm tired of hearing that language come out of your mouth." Mike glared at her and she glared back.

"Let's all calm down." Steve said, standing. "Look, Mrs. Wheeler, Nancy, you two have got to understand that your son and brother got fucked up last night. He had a knife stuck in his leg for like two hours, m'kay?"

"Not to mention a _fucking gun_ to my head."

"Yeah, so give him a break. And Mike, I understand you're pissed for not being told sooner and that Nancy's not getting punished right now, but we just unloaded a lot of shit on your mom too, so. Let's all chill the hell out. If someone's got a black eye when we get back, and it's not me, _no_ one will be leaving this house today except for Hopper, El, and Luis. Got it?" Steve motioned for Dustin, Robin and Erica to follow him, and the group of four left behind Murray.

"Mike and Nancy are so gonna explode on each other and Karen is gonna lose her mind." Dustin said as he shut the door of the car.

"Yep." Steve sighed, looking behind him as he backed up.

" _God_ why is Steve such a better dad than our _own_?" Mike grumbled.

"Honestly though." Nancy agreed.

"I need a drink." Karen went to the kitchen.

"Same, whatcha got Karen?" Hopper asked, following her as El came down the stairs. She was wearing the same sweater of Mike's that she'd seen on him in the gym that day with Max, when she was still hiding.

"Where'd he go?" she asked. Everyone pointed towards the kitchen and she nodded, making her way in there. "Don't get drunk if we're fighting tonight." she said, and threw the shirt at his head.

"Is it just me or is everyone just gonna ignore the fact that Mike had a literal loaded gun to his head? Like, he was literally gonna be shot?" Lucas asked. "And killed."

"It's not important, obviously." Mike said, shrugging. "You see why I didn't want to tell my mom a damn thing? She's gonna get drunk off her ass now."

"Mike…" Joyce sighed. "I don't agree with the drinking, at all, but all of this is a lot on her."

"I had a _gun_ to my _head_. It was in the middle of my forehead, and it was cold. It was cold and there was a bullet that was about to go into my damn _brain_. You don't see me drinking, do you? You don't see me freaking out, do you? I'm _fine_ and I had a gun to my head."

"Dude." Lucas put a hand on Mike's shoulder and he shrugged him off.

"Don't." Mike growled and stood. "I'll be… somewhere. Let me know when everyone gets back." he took off up the stairs.

El came out of the kitchen and leaned against the door frame, crossing her arms.

"This better be the last time." she said with a sigh.

"Last time for what?" Luis asked.

"The last time we deal with this shit." she replied, and pushed off the frame, following her boyfriend up the stairs.

Hopper peeked his head out of the doorway, his eyes wide.

"When did _she_ start swearing?"

* * *

Mike was sitting on his bed, bouncing a small rubber ball on the floor and catching it and throwing it in the air when El walked in.

"My turn to try and make you feel better now?" she asked, walking over to him. He sighed and shrugged, letting the ball drop and roll away.

"Not much can make me feel better, El." he said, shaking his head. "Not any time soon."

"Well, it looks like I might be moving back?" she suggested stopping in front of him. He looked up at her and she put her hands on his shoulders.

"You're also about to try and kill something that wants to kill every living thing and take over the world, pretty much by yourself."

"Not by myself. Luis can help, and you guys too."

"What can I do to help?" he asked, and he could feel the burning in his eyes start again. "Before you came back, when we were at Will's house, my weapon was a freaking candlestick. What good would that do against a monster? And before that, when Dustin brought Dart to school, I had a microphone. As a weapon. I can't do anything but be in the way of other people, of you. Maybe my mom is right, I should stay here. I'll end up getting someone killed." his breath quickened and El crouched in front of him. "I don't want anyone to die because of me, El. I don't want anyone to die at all, and I almost did, and honestly, I don't think it bothers me that much."

"Mike, you're thinking too much." she said, moving her hands up to his cheeks. "Overthinking. You won't get anyone killed, and you won't die." she said, the tone in her voice final. "Calm down, okay? I know you're upset. You have a good reason to be, I know it was scary."

"It was." he nodded. "It was scary, El. I don't remember if I was shaking from the cold or from fear. I'm so _tired_ of being scared all the time."

"I know." she pulled him close to her and wrapped her arms around him, and he buried his face in her stomach. "We're gonna stop this, tonight. Once and for all, okay? I promise."

"That's not a promise you can keep." he shook his head. "This is the fourth year in a row, El."

"Well, like they say, fourth times the Charm?" she grinned down at him when he pulled away.

"It's third times the charm, but you were close."

There was a knock on the door frame and the two turned their eyes towards it, and Nancy stood in the doorway, Holly standing next to her, holding her hand tightly.

"Uh, Holly wanted to make sure you were okay." Nancy said. "And I did too, but, you know… Holly." Mike nodded and reached a hand out, and Holly immediately let go of her older sisters hand and darted to her brother.

"I'm okay, thanks to El." Mike grinned up at El, who rolled her eyes.

"Thank you, El!" Holly exclaimed, smiling up at El. El smiled back down at her and stepped back.

"I'll let you two talk." she said, and kissed the top of his head before making her way out of the room. Nancy sat on the other side of Mike.

"I went in the kitchen and poured out both bottles of wine." she said. "Right in front of mom."

"Jesus, I know she wasn't too happy about that." Mike snorted.

"Nope." Nancy shook her head. "At first, at least, but then she thanked me, and wanted me to tell you she was sorry. And I'm sorry too. What happened to you sucks and it's like we're all completely ignoring it." Mike shrugged.

"I want to completely ignore it." he said. "But I can't get that feeling off me."

"Feeling?" she asked.

"Of the gun pressed to my head."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I know how near death experiences feel." she said.

"I know."

"I've had a few."

"I know." he repeated.

"Me too." Holly piped up. The two looked at her and she looked like she always did- cheerful. But there was a look in her eyes that had never been there before. At least, they'd never noticed before.

"Holly, I want you to know that you will _never_ see anything like that again." Nancy said, putting a hand on her little sisters shoulder. "I promise you. We're gonna get rid of all of those things."

"There's _more_?" she shrieked.

"Not-not here, Holly, no. You don't have to worry about anything coming here." Mike told her.

"Unless someone bleeds." Nancy muttered.

"Shut up."

Before they could continue comforting their sister, yelling came from downstairs. Nancy picked Holly up and they rushed downstairs, realizing that Murray was back already.

"You _crashed_ my _car_!" Jonathan yelled.

"It was an accident! On the bright side, all the bottles are still in tact!" Murray raised his hands up in surrender.

"You're paying for the damage, Murray." Joyce said, and pulled her son away from him.

"Alright, everyone sit your asses down right now, and be quiet." Hopper ordered. "We'll start figuring out a game plan when Harrington and family get back." he said. "El and Louie, rest up as much as you can."

"It's _Luis_."

"Whatever."

"I, um, I was about to start cooking dinner when all this happened." Karen said. "Is anyone hungry? I'll get started again, there should be enough for everyone to get something."

"If you're up for it, Karen. I'll help." Joyce said. Karen nodded and the women went into the kitchen.

"I, uh, I should probably go help too. Mom still isn't the best cook." Jonathan said, slowly backing out of the living room, glancing at Mike.

"I'm not gonna hit you again. Go." Mike huffed, and sat back down in his dad's Lay-Z-Boy.

"Let's watch some TV. I haven't in seven months." Hopper said, picking up the remote as if it were his own and switched on the TV.

It stayed quiet, the only sounds coming from the TV and the voices of those in the kitchen flowing quietly into the living room. It stayed quiet until a hyped up Dustin and Erica arrived, Steve and Robin following behind with bags in hand.

"What the hell happened to you two?" Mike asked.

"They drank coffee for the first time." Steve replied.

"It was disgusting but holy shit this feeling." Dustin said, wiggling his fingers.

"Oh hell." Hopper sighed and buried his face in his hands. "The food will help chill them out. Karen! How's the food coming along!"  
"It's done!"

* * *

After a mixture of sandwiches and what Karen cooked, everyone gathered in the living room once more, and all the attention was on Hopper.

"I hate to say it, I really do, but, I think the kids will be needed." Max let out a cough. "The _teens_ will be needed." he corrected, rolling his eyes.

"Thank you." she grinned.

"Anyways. Anyone willing to lend a helping hand will definitely be needed." everyone raised their hands, even Karen. "Karen, you don't count." Karen scoffed.

"Bull shit I don't count! I stabbed that thing with a giant steak knife."

"It's true, she did." Nancy agreed.

"I can be helpful." Karen said.

"What about Holly?" Mike asked. "I don't think it'd be a good idea to drop her off with a babysitter tonight." Karen sighed.

"You're right. But I want to help."

"You feeding us has been much help, Mrs. Wheeler." Steve said, and Dustin nodded in agreement. Karen snorted.

"Just… stay here with Holly and answer the phone." Hopper told her. "In case we call for any reason, just be aware and near a phone." she nodded.

"I can do that."

"And no going and buying more wine." Nancy raised an eyebrow at her. Karen glared.

"I'm not." she replied.

"We honestly don't know what we're facing here." Lucas said. "According to Hopper, it's one, a Mind Flayer-"

" _A_ Mind Flayer? There's more than one?" Karen asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I mean… If you want to be technical there was last year." Mike told her. "The melted bodies one out here and then the shadow one in the Upside Down."

"Dear God."

" _The_ Mind Flayer," Lucas continued, "and possibly, most likely, a bunch of Demogorgons, Demodogs and Demospiders. How do we fight that?"

"Fire, guns, explosions, lots of fire." Hopper replied. "I've got my flamethrower, and I'm sure we can find a few more in that same area, and we've got the molotovs."

"And what about guns? It's not like you can just waltz into the police station like you're still Chief and demand Flo give you access to all the guns." Robin said.

"Sure he can. He'll just give her a heart attack and she'll die." Dustin said. Erica nodded.

"Or she'll think she's dead already and in the afterlife with you." she added.

"You two are not helping." Steve grumbled.

"Shut up before I send you home." Lucas huffed.

"Make. Me." she replied.

"Anyways, you can't just do that." Robin repeated, rolling her eyes at the siblings.

"Watch me."

* * *

"Has he always been this ballsy? Honestly, he doesn't really even look like Hopper she might try and shoot him." Mike whispered. Someone thumped him on the back of the head and he glared at Steve. "Fuck off Steve."

"You fuck off."

"Both of you fuck off." El muttered and the two stared at her. "What? I'm trying to concentrate here. You know, make sure she doesn't actually try and kill him."

A few feet away, Lucas and Max were trying not to laugh out loud at the faces of their best friend and babysitter.

"Flo! How ya doing?" Hopper asked, letting the door behind him close and jingle. Flo looked up at him and her mouth dropped open.

"What the fu-"

"Look, I know you're shocked, but please don't have a heart attack and die. It's me, Hopper. I'm not dead, and I never was. Some shit went down and some more shit's about to go down so I need access to the gun safe." he leaned against the front desk and she stared at him.

"You're not dead?" she asked.

"I'm not dead. Safe, Flo?" with wide eyes, she nodded, and gestured for him to follow her and they disappeared through another door.

Mike, El and Steve opened the door and snuck in as quietly as possible, El using her powers to keep the bell from jingling.

"Honestly, what are we here for?" Mike asked.

"Just to make sure nothing happens." Steve replied.

"Why am I here then, I can't do shit."

"Mike, hush." El thumped him on the shoulder.

"Harrington!" Hopper called. "Wheeler! Get back here and help me!"

"Well he doesn't sound like he's dying so, come on." Steve grabbed Mike's good arm and dragged him behind him.

"What about me?" El asked.

"We'll be right back, El, promise!" Mike called back. She huffed but stayed put and watched them disappear as well.

She heard a few words and thuds while she waited, turning around and giving the window a thumbs up for those in the vehicles. A few minutes later, the three returned, Hopper and Steve carrying two big black duffel bags, and Mike carrying a smaller version of it, but it looked like it was about to bust.

"Lot of amo." he told her, having noticed the look she was giving the bag. She nodded in understanding.

They got back in the van with the rest of Scoops as if nothing was out of the ordinary, and they took off back to the Wheeler's house.

"Karen, can I borrow your phone?" Hopper asked upon arrival. She raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Great. Joyce, remember the number for Owens?" Joyce snorted and nodded, following him to the phone, where he called and demanded to talk to Dr. Owens until whoever was on the other end finally put him through.

It was a long phone call for sure, Hopper explaining everything that happened and where he was, and what was going on now.

"Hopper, whatever you do, _wait_ until we get there." he said. "Just _wait_."

"How long?" Hopper asked.

"A few hours." Owens replied. "Just a few hours. Wait on us."

"I'll give you an hour and then we got to do something." Hopper hung up the phone and looked at Joyce.

"What'd he say?"

"Wouldn't be here for a few hours." he replied. "Like I said, I'm giving him an hour and then we're going." he went into the living room and explained to everyone what was said on the phone.

"So that gives us an hour to figure out exactly how the hell we're supposed to take care of Brenner and his Russians." Mike said. "Because I'm sure they're still in the lab, which is where we have to go."

"Do either of you know how many there are?" Murray asked.

"There aren't _that_ many, but there's more than us." Hopper replied.

"Well that's comforting." Max huffed.

"There's fifteen of us going into the lab." Nancy said. "There's more than fifteen?"

"Maybe twenty, twenty-five. I don't know, okay, I was mainly focused on finding Wheeler and getting him out _alive_." Hopper grumbled.

"Let's go over the plan again." Will said. He'd been quiet throughout, no doubt having been feeling the Mind Flayer.

"Good idea, yeah. First groups are- El and Luis, you two will go straight to the gate if no complications arise with Brenner. Then Joyce, Murray and I will be close behind to try and get a bit better control over things. Then Nancy, Will and Jon will be on the far left of the gate. Robin, Max and Dustin will be on the right side, and Mike, Lucas, Erica and Steve, you four will be in the back near the door, directly across from where the gate will be. We'll all need to face the center, because if I'm right, as Luis is pulling the Mind Flayer out, monsters will come out with it, and our best bet is keeping them in the middle where everything can be seen. Any questions?"

"What if we shoot someone else?" Robin raised her hand.

"We're not shooting blindly here, Buckley, we're aiming at the things." she put her hand down.

"Any more questions?"

No one said anything for a few seconds.

"Good. Nancy, Robin, and Steve, you three will get guns. Do you know how to use them?"

"I do." Nancy nodded.

"Well everyone knows that." Mike snorted. She shushed him and he flipped her off.

"Joyce, Murray and I will all have one. Out of group number five, other than Steve, do any of you know how to use a gun?"

"Nope." Erica said, popping the P.

"Nancy's made me practice some with smaller, handheld ones." Mike said.

"You'll get one of those, then." Hopper replied. "Sinclair?"

"I have never touched a gun in my life."

"Someone give him an axe." Jonathan joked. Lucas nodded seriously.

"Yeah, I can work with that." he replied.

"I'll go get the axe." Nancy muttered, standing up and making her way to the garage.

"I'll come with." Jonathan followed her.

"I'd make a joke about, uh, no babies, but…" Dustin trailed off, shrinking back at the annoyed faces that turned towards him.

"I will take your hat and set it on fire." Mike said. "On your _head_."

"Jeez, tough crowd."

"You're kind of quiet, Wheeler. Who's murder are you plotting over there? Dustin's, Jonathan's, or Murray's?" Max asked.

"Yours." he replied instantly and she grinned. "But. uh, I don't know. This is kind of weird."

"What is?" El asked.

"We're all together. Like, we're preparing to do this, together. Normally we're all split up doing our own thing." he said. "I don't know, it just gives me a weird feeling."

"It is unusual." Will said. "It's a good thing, though. Us being all together."

"I guess." Mike shrugged.

"Anyways. When El closed the gate the first time, the gun I had managed to keep the demodogs at bay. I don't know if it killed them for sure or not, but it will definitely help. I don't think it will really help the fully grown ones, so the molotovs need to be used for them and the spiders." Hopper told them.

"El and Luis will head in first, and then Hopper, Joyce and I will follow behind. We will take care of any of Brenner's men."

"You mean you're gonna kill them?" Karen asked.

"If we have to, Karen, yes." Joyce nodded.

"Save Brenner for me." El said, crossing her ankles. Everyone turned to her. "What?"

"Are you sure… you want to kill him?" Robin asked.

"Why wouldn't I be? After what he did to me, what he did to mama… what he did to _Mike_. He will _not_ get away with it. Martin Brenner is dying today, for sure this time."

* * *

"Are we sure about splitting up?" Dustin asked nervously. The group of fifteen were standing outside the three cars that had been driven- Jonathan's now beat up car, the Wheeler's Station Wagon, and Robin's grandmas van- in front of the gates of the lab.

"No. But we have to." Hopper replied. "We have no way of knowing exactly where they are in the building now. At first all of them were underground, but they could be hiding out throughout the building now."

"I could go and look, actually." Luis said. "It's pretty dark in there, I can move through the shadows. It won't take long."

"You need to save up your energy, kid." Hopper told him.

"With all due respect, El's dad sir, I know my limits to my powers. It won't hurt for me to take quick looks in each room." Hopper glared at him.

"Fine. But be cautious."

"Will do!" he jogged around the side of one of the cars and disappeared into the shadows. Everyone watched the building silently, waiting to see if anything happened. After about ten minutes, Luis popped back up behind the previous car.

"All clear!" he chirped.

"So if they're all here they're most likely underground." Steve said.

"Duh." Erica rolled her eyes.

"I don't need your _sass_ Erica."

"Okay, listen up." Hopper said. "We have to be careful. There are caged Demogorgons in here that may or may not be out and about now, and these people have guns. I highly highly doubt any cameras are working, so we need to be quiet walking through here. There are signs hanging from the ceiling telling you where the basement is- follow those signs. El, Luis and I will go first and will get as many people as we can. Then Steve, Nancy and Murray will follow three minutes after that door shuts. The rest of you will come five minutes after the door shuts, and you will get in your groups, and the latter three will join their groups when we get to the gate. Everyone understand?" Everyone nodded. "El, Luis, let's go."

"Wait, uh… I know you'll be fine and all but…" Mike started, and El smiled at him.

"I will be." she said, and pulled him down for a kiss. Dustin and Lucas started wolf whistling. "I love you." she told him.

"I love you too." he replied, and watched them go. Everyone followed behind them and Mike looked at his watch after they went in, the rest of the group waiting at the door. At the three minute mark, he said, "Go. And be _careful_ , Nancy." she looked back at him and gave him a small smile, and nodded, and they went in. Steve poked his head back out.

"Hey Mike, do you know the name of the guy that stabbed you?"

"Um, Cheslav, I think." Mike told him. Steve nodded and popped back inside.

Mike let out a deep breath after the door shut.

"We have a good ass plan, dude, everything will be fine." Dustin patted Mike on the shoulder.

"Good ass plans don't always work." Mike rolled his eyes.

They were silent for the most part, and when the five minute mark hit, Mike opened the door.

* * *

It was absolute chaos the moment Steve, Nancy and Murray caught up with the first three. There were dead bodies littered throughout the hallways, and the stairs leading down to the basement, and in the basement.

"Damn, they didn't save anything for the rest of us." Steve snorted.

"Nah, this is El's doing." Nancy said. "All at once, I'm sure. We haven't heard any gunshots yet."

All of a sudden, a door burst open and a man ran out screaming, no weapon insight.

"Hey!" Steve yelled, and pointed his gun at the man. The man froze in place. "Are you Cheslav, by any chance?"

"Yes. Why?" he asked. It caught Steve off guard for a second, giving Cheslav time to smack the gun out of Steve's hands and punch him in the face.

"Steve!" Nancy shrieked as he hit the ground.

"Don't shoot!" Steve said, "I got him."

By the time the rest of the group reached them, both Steve and Cheslav were beaten and bloody, but Cheslav was out cold on the ground.

"What in the actual hell." Max deadpanned.

"Can you not go a year without getting your ass handed to you?" Dustin asked.

"Hey, I won the last two times!" Steve grumbled.

"Man, I wish I had that knife because I'd stab him in the dick." Mike muttered, and Dustin couldn't help but laugh.

"You can always shoot him there." Joyce suggested. Mike gave her a look and she chuckled, shrugging. "Or you know, accidentally step on his hand. Multiple times."

"Good idea." he replied, and did just that.

* * *

When everyone finally joined El, Luis and Hopper at the gate, El had Brenner high up against the wall. El looked back at the commotion and locked eyes with Mike for a split second, before turning back to Brenner. He couldn't speak, couldn't breathe, his face was turning blue.

"This, is for Mike." slits appeared in his suit, and blood began seeping out. His leg jerked, and blood began squirting out of the side. She raised her other hand, and with one swift movement, snapped his neck and dropped him in a heap on the ground.

"Wow." Dustin breathed. "That never gets old."

"Well." El sniffed, and wiped under her nose- glad to see no blood- and put her arms on her hips. "After this is over with, you'll never get to see it again. Savor it." she walked over to Mike and grabbed his hand, moving it and tilting her head to get a look at his watch. She looked at him. "What a Valentine's day, huh?" she asked. He snickered and looked at his watch. It was eighteen minutes after midnight on February fourteenth.

"You're telling me." he kissed her forehead.

"I hate to ruin this… moment, but we've got shit to do and monsters to kill and dimensions to destroy." Murray said.

"You mean us." Luis corrected, putting a hand on El's shoulder.

"Whatever. Positions people!"

Before they did that, though, they hugged each other, just in case. El and Luis stood in front of the gate and looked at each other.

"Are you sure you can do this?" she asked him.

"It's just like moving from shadow to shadow. The Upside Down is mostly darkness, correct?"

"Mostly, yes." she agreed. "Please be careful. Use your shield. They'll probably come after me, but still. Use it."

"I will," he told her.

"EVERYONE READY?" El yelled. A chorus of Yes and No's filled the room and she snorted, raising her hands. Immediately, the gate began opening, from the top. The noise of it ripping open filled their ears. Far too soon, Luis disappeared into the Upside Down, and monsters began appearing. It was just a few Demodogs, and Hopper was able to take them out himself. They were going for El, as she'd said. The more the gate opened, the more monsters that came out, and soon, each version was out and screeching, and besides that, all she could hear was gun fire, her family screaming, and glass shattering.

The second the gate was open, out came Luis, covered in the goopy substance, and he was using both hands to latch onto the shadow- to the Mind Flayer. There was a shield of sorts surrounding him, and El knew it wouldn't do much good, so she began helping pull the Mind Flayer out.

Will was right. It was huge, but as it came out, it seemed to become smaller. El knew it was because of Luis, he was absorbing some of the darkness to use his powers.

While the Mind Flayer was being pulled out, the groups were hard at work, lighting the molotovs and throwing them. They worked fairly well against all three versions of the Demogorgon. The bad part, however, was that once the monster was in flames, it disappeared back into the Upside Down and then eventually came back out. It didn't kill them. It surely gave them time to shoot and kill the Demodogs, though, but it was no use trying to kill the Demogorgons and Demospiders.

In the rush of grabbing and throwing molotovs, Erica spun to quickly and wasn't looking where she was going, and tripped over a Demodogs leg, letting out a yelp as she hit the ground.

"Oh _come on_!" she exclaimed as Mike rushed over to her. Lucas would have but he was on a roll with the molotovs and yelled,

"Erica! You good?"

"No! I hurt my ankle, asshole!"

"Look, come on. You don't need to just sit here." Mike said, and held his hands out to her. She grumbled but let him help her up, and she limped her way back to her brother and his babysitter.

Robin, Max and Dustin would be doing much better had Dustin been able to work a lighter correctly, but they were making it. No one had gotten hurt yet.

That is, until,

"MOVE!" Robin screamed, as a particularly big claw swung towards them. She pushed the teens out of the way and the claw hit her, and she flew into the wall.

"ROBIN!" Dustin yelled, and ran to her. "KEEP GOING, MAX!" he yelled.

"Wha- IS SHE OKAY? IS SHE DEAD?"

"ROBIN! WAKE UP!" he poked Robin's face a few times and she squirmed.

"Stop." she grumbled and opened her eyes. Her head was bleeding, but fortunately, the claws didn't actually hurt her. Other than throwing her into the wall, at least.

"SHE'S FINE!" he yelled to Max, who glanced back at them for a second, and went back to throwing molotovs.

Nancy was shooting Demodogs and Demospiders left and right when the same thing that happened to Erica happened to Jonathan. He tripped over a dead one, and almost as soon as he hit the ground, and got his feet flat, to stand, a damn Demodog ran across them, and stepped on his left foot and he let out a scream of pain.

"Jonathan!" Will shrieked, and rushed over to his brother. "Are you okay?"

"A fucking _Demodog_ broke my fucking _foot_!" he exclaimed. "I am _not_ okay!"

Luis was way too distracted to notice the smaller Demodog running at him. As was El, who was trying to keep some of the monsters going for him at bay whilst keeping her own off her, along with pulling the Mind Flayer out. It was fighting, that's for sure, and wasn't going down without a fight.

"OW you little BITCH!" he yelled, sending a shadow bomb at the Demodog that just bit the shit out of him, sending it through the air and into a wall behind group number two. It hit so hard the wall cracked, and rubble rained down on top of Hopper, Joyce and Murray.

"Ow, son of a bitch." Joyce hissed as she felt the sharp shrapnel sticking into her skin through her shirt and around her collar bone.

"You alright?" Hopper called to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" she called back.

Finally. Finally, El and Luis pulled the Mind Flayer out, and it was huge, and it was angry. If it weren't for the two holding onto it's swirly appendages, it'd be on a rampage.

"Hey ass hole! Eat this!" Lucas yelled, and through a Molotov at one of the tendrils. It shattered on impact, and all at once, the world slowed down.

First of all, Dustin was correct when he suggested that the Mind Flayer would become solid when it was outside of the Upside Down Completely.

Second, as soon as it shattered, flames flew up the tendril and the Mind Flayer screeched.

And third, well, the Mind Flayer was absolutely not happy about what Lucas just did, and with a scream, the nearest Demogorgon bounded towards Lucas, and of course, of _course_ he drops his lighter and now has absolutely no weapon. The Demogorgon raised his hand, and just as it was about to swipe at Lucas, Mike pushed him out of the way.

The Demogorgon swiped at Mike, and it's claws caught in his side and slashed all the way to the other, sending Mike into a wall, similarly to how Robin was thrown into a wall.

"MIKE!" Lucas screamed, and again, everything slowed. But this time it was because of El. A huge burst of energy rushed through the room, so large that even the Mind Flayer went down for a moment.

"Oh no, no, no, no." El chanted as she ran over to her boyfriend and the group huddled over him. She fell to her knees in a puddle of his blood and put her hands on his cheeks, getting his attention. "Mike, Mike, look at me. Come on, look at me." he opened his eyes and looked at her, and when he took a breath, he wheezed and blood continued to gather on the floor underneath him.

"Oh my God." Max gasped when her group finally reached them.

"Mike!" Nancy yelled, and fell next to El.

"I can fix this." El sobbed. "I can, I can fix you. I can stop the bleeding, I've done it before I-." El put her hands over Mike's stomach but he reached a shaky hand out and gripped her wrist weakly.

"El, I'm... okay." he whispered. Blood dribbled out of the corner of his mouth as he spoke, coating his teeth in red. "Don't waste... your energy."

"You're not gonna die." she cried. "I'm not gonna let you. You need help."

"It-It's gonna destroy… the-the world if you… if you don't kill it now. Would-would you let the world d-die? Let the world die, so I can live?" Mike asked weakly. "Our friends… family, I'm not...worth letting them... die. Would you let... them die with the world... so I have a chance… to live? Tell me no, El."

"Mike-." Mike lifted his free hand up to her face and cupped her cheek.

"Tell me no. Don't let the world die… for me. Promise me. Please." he begged.

"Mike, I- I promise. Please don't… please fight." she leaned closer towards him, tears falling down her cheeks. "Don't give up, fight, and I'll fight." she told him. "Promise me you won't leave me." she let out a choked sob, fat tears falling onto Mike's shirt.

"I promise." he whispered, and she kissed him. The kiss was soft, so soft,but held so much love and emotion. "I love you."

"I love you too." she caressed his cheek gently, and stood, letting Hopper and Lucas get a hold of him. "Get him somewhere safe." she ordered, wiping under her eyes and sniffing. "Get him out of here while there aren't any monsters."

The two nodded and she had to will herself to ignore the agonized cries that fell from Mike's lips as they picked him up to move him. El squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds, until she couldn't hear him anymore, and they opened, immediately finding Luis.

"Are you ready to end this?" he asked her, holding his hand out to her.

"Yes." she nodded.

"Everyone, light and throw as many Molotovs as you can, distract it while El shuts the gate again." Hopper barked, running back in. "I'm going to stay with Mike. You can do this." he kissed the side of El's head and ran through the door with Joyce on his heels.

"I'm going to get Jonathan out of here too." Steve said. "I'll be back." it fell on deaf ears as things began acting up again.

Dustin, Max, Robin and Murray were left. Will and Erica had gone with their siblings, and Nancy refused to leave him even as Lucas and Hopper carried him away. Leaving only four, soon to be five when Steve gets back, to throw molotovs while Luis helps to hold the Mind Flayer back, and El closes the gate. It seems as though it's given up on sending monsters out to attack, after what El just did, but was fighting much harder now.

"There's got to be gauze and towels and shit around here somewhere." Joyce rambled as she tore through drawers and cabinets, her youngest son helping her. They'd found one towel folded up neatly in a cabinet, and they put it over Mike's… giant wound, but the towel had soaked up so much blood already and looked as though it's natural color was dark red.

"Shit, shit, shit- I found some! I found some towels!" Will yelled, and grabbed them and ran back to the room Hopper and Lucas had put Mike in. He couldn't talk anymore without wheezing or blood gurgling in the back of his throat, but he was awake for the time being, which was a good sign.

"You're gonna be okay, kid." Hopper told Mike. "I promise you, you _will_ be okay. We're gonna get you to a hospital as soon as possible. Okay?" Mike nodded slightly, Hopper could barely see it.

"Na-Nanc-cy." he said, reaching a hand out blindly. She rushed over to him, giving up on her search, and took his hand with both of hers.

"I'm here, Mikey. I'm here." tears slipped down her cheeks and onto her arms, leaving black streaks, but she didn't care.

"M-m s-sor-rrry."

"No, no, you've done nothing wrong. Nothing." she shook her head. "You're gonna be _fine_."

"M-m'kay. Lo-ove yo-you."

"I love you too. So, so much."

Back in the other room, Max was currently swearing at Dustin and threatening to beat him to death with his own hat. He lit a molotov, and as soon as he lifted it to throw, it slipped right out of his hand and hit the ground, fire spreading immediately and catching Max's jacket. It burned her left side and she barely managed to get the jacket off and stop it from catching her shirt.

"You fucking _idiot_!" she yelled.

"I'm sorry! I had blood on my hand!" he yelled.

"How the hell did you get blood on your hand?"

"It… It's Mikes. I don't know how…"

"Look, just keep throwing the molotovs. You two can throw down _later_!" Murray yelled.

"GET IT AWAY!" El screamed at the top of her lungs, hands thrown into the air towards the gate. One of the tendrils was trying to make its way back in the still open space before it closed. "GET IT AWAY _NOW!_ "

The molotovs picked up again and Luis dragged the tendril away, only for another one to snake it's way towards the gate, but with a final scream, the gate closed and the tendril froze in place. Then, it fell. And along with it, the rest of the Mind Flayer fell, slowly dying as each tendril hit the ground, smoke flying up around the area. El fell to her knees, the only thing holding her up were her hands. Taking heaving breaths, she looked up, just as it's giant head hit, and the rest of its body followed.

"You did it!" Dustin shrieked. "You _fucking_ did it!" she could help but smile and hug him as he scooped her up.

"I did. I did it." she nodded, hugging him back. Then she froze. "Mike."

She didn't know if she somehow had energy left, or if it was just the adrenaline, but she made a beeline for the door, darting through faster than her or anyone else in that room could've thought. With a heavy heart, she followed the trail of blood into a room, and skidded to a stop at the sight of her boyfriend on the table.

"Mike." she repeated his name, and his eyes opened.

"E-El." he managed.

"It's over." she said, breathless. "It's _over_." her vision started to blur, and started to darken, and she tried to take a few steps forward, but she fell forward, rather than walked, and Lucas caught her before she hit the ground.

"Go and open the gates." Hopper barked at Steve. "And drive _something_ up here so we can get him to the hospital. _Now_."

* * *

"Help! We need help! My brother's hurt!" Nancy yelled, running into the Emergency Room. They were at the back where the ambulances go. The blood all over her clothes was enough to get doctors scrambling. The group of four were told to get out of the way and let them get Mike out of the car, and that's what they did, and rushed in behind him, only to get a door slammed in their face and a doctor telling them they need to be checked out.

"We've got multiple deep lacerations to the abdomen, heavy bleeding!"

"Need some O negative over here!"

"He needs to be intubated right now."

"Get it done, we need to get him to an O/R as soon as possible, people, or he's gonna bleed out. Quick, quick, get him hooked up _now_!"

"Let's go!"


	8. Chapter Eight: Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so everything medical related I’ve learned from Grey’s Anatomy in the last like three weeks, and a shit ton of research so, any of those medical people that read (Ahem, Sian if she ever reads this) fangirlingstrangerthings don’t murder me in the comments (or group chat) please and thank you :D  
> I’m pretty sure it was morphine that had my brother fucked up when he got in an accident, so I’m basing Mike being loopy af off of that. My brother was grinning almost constantly, I swear xD. And made no sense, Jesus CHRIST. Anyways, enjoy! :D

“Jonathan Byers, broken foot. We need to get an X-Ray and some fluids in him right away. Foot doesn’t look good. Minor cuts and bruises, no other injuries. Will need IV antibiotics.”

“Joyce Byers, Jonathan Byers mother, has cuts and scratches with pieces of debris that need to be removed. No other visible injuries. Will need IV antibiotics.”

“Erica Sinclair, sprained ankle. No other visible injuries.”

“Robin Buckley, three centimeter laceration to the head, will need stitches. Get a CT scan set up. Minor concussion, bruising. No other visible injuries. Will need IV antibiotics.”

“Luis Rodriguez. Apparent “bear” bite. Needs to be disinfected, stitched and wrapped up. Will need antibiotics and fluids. No other visible injuries.”

“Maxine Mayfield, second degree burns on the left side. Will need to be cleaned and given antibiotic ointment. No other visible injuries.”

“Jane Hopper. Appears to be very dehydrated and weak, refuses treatment until she knows how her boyfriend is doing. Was unconscious when she entered the ER. Prepare a Banana bag. Came in with a heavy nose bleed and needs to be taken for a CT. Sedate if need be, and no other visible injuries.”

“James Hopper, previously declared dead. Father of Jane Hopper. Severely malnourished and dehydrated. Will need a few tests done and a CT, and a banana bag. There are no other visible injuries.”

“Steve Harrington. Deep laceration above the left eyebrow, will need to be stitched. Probable minor concussion, will need a CT scan. Bruising around left eye, swollen and busted lip. Bruises over the entire body but no other visible injuries. Will need antibiotics.”

“Michael Wheeler. We are unaware of how many lacerations there are exactly, but they are deep. Damage to the liver and spleen, will most likely need a splenectomy and a piece of liver removed. We need to run more tests and exploratory surgery to make sure no other organs are damaged. He has had major blood loss and will need blood transfusions throughout surgery. What looks like three lacerations to the arm caused by something smaller, and a possible stab wound to the lower thigh.”

* * *

“I’m not telling you a damn thing until I talk to Doctor Sam Owens.” Hopper growled. The police officer that the new chief of police hired scowled and left the room.

“Sir, we understand you’ve been put under a lot of stress, but you need to lie down.” a nurse tried to reason with him. Hopper was sitting up, legs thrown over his bed, right hand gripping the IV pole and readying to get up and go on the hunt for whoever he could get information out of.

“I’m being put under stress because you won’t let me see my daughter or my- or Joyce! And you won’t tell me about the kid, about Mike. Is he alive?”

“We can’t tell you anything about Mr. Wheeler, sir. You’re not family-”

“I’m his girlfriend’s dad! Practically his dad! Look, I saved the kid on multiple occasions today, I deserve to know if he’s at least  _ alive _ !”

“If I tell you, will you please calm down?”

“That, and take me to see my daughter and Joyce.” he replied. “And I’ll shut my mouth.”

“If I get in trouble-”

“Ma’am, I used to be Chief of Police. You won’t get in trouble.”

“Oh, okay. Um, he’s alive, but it’s not looking good right now. They immediately had to intubate- which is put a tube in his throat to help him breathe- and rushed him to surgery. That’s all I know.”

“You keep updating me and letting me know how he’s doing, got it?”

“Yes sir. I’m going to go and get you a wheelchair and I’ll take you to see your daughter and Joyce.” Hopper nodded and she walked away quickly. In the room next to him, he could hear Max yelling at Dustin for dropping the molotov and burning her, and Lucas and Erica trying to stop the fight but getting into a fight of their own. He stood up and rolled the unplugged IV along with him, and as he stepped out of his room, he saw Steve doing the same. They gave each other a look and Steve stepped in. 

“Look, Dipshits, this is a hospital. People are in pain and or dying. Let’s all chill and give them some peace. Me included.” Hopper leaned against the door frame and gave the four a look. The nurse that was treating Max’s burns looked at Steve gratefully.

“Sorry.” Dustin muttered. “It’s just, it was an accident and now she’s mad.”

“Of course I’m mad! You have no idea how bad this hurts!”   
“Max, I know it’s got to hurt, but trust me, you don’t have it the worst.” Steve said, and gestured down to his clothes. Mike’s blood covered them, along with Hopper and a few other members of the group's clothes.

“Anyone know how he’s doing?” Max asked. Everyone looked to Hopper.

“Uh, all I know is that he’s alive and has a breathing tube.” Hopper told them. “They rushed him into surgery almost as soon as they got here.” they didn’t say anything after that.

“Alright, the ointment should help the pain soon, and we’ve given you some mild pain meds to help.” the nurse told Max, who nodded and pulled her gown back over her side. “Would you like for me to get you boys and ma’am some scrubs to change into? And we can take your clothes for you.” she said. They all agreed and she left just as Hopper's nurse came back.

“Mr. Hopper, you don’t take no for an answer, do you?”

“No.” he replied.

“Take a seat.” she told him. He huffed and gave the group of teens- and Erica- a look. The nurse pushed Hopper down the hallway and around a corner- and as soon as she did, he saw Nancy damn near yelling at a nurse at the nurses desk.

“I am his  _ sister _ , I am  _ eighteen  _ years old. I have a right to know how he’s doing!” he could hear Jonathan calling her and trying to get her to go back to his room, but failed.

“Stop for a second.” Hopper told his nurse. She stopped, and he stood up and walked to Nancy. “Kid, hey, look at me.” he snapped his fingers at her and she turned to him, black tears from her makeup running down her face, blood smudged on her cheek and on her clothes. “Go to your boyfriend and I’ll tell you what I know.” Nancy sniffed and nodded, glaring at the nurse before storming back into Jonathan’s room. His nurse pretty much gave up on the wheelchair and just stood close by him. “He’s alive, and has a breathing tube. They rushed him into surgery as soon as we got here.” he told them. Nancy sat in the chair next to Jonathan, defeated. “He’ll be okay. I’m going to go see El and make sure she doesn’t try and kill anyone.”

“El?” the nurse asked.

“Yes, my daughter. Jane, but we call her El.”

“Ah, middle name?” she asked.

“Sure. Where is she?”

Upon arriving at the room she was in, he spotted Will sitting in one of the chairs next to her. The next thing he noticed was the face she was making, and then the restraints on her hands.

“You restrained her? Really?” he exclaimed.

“We had to, sir. She would have injured herself and others if we hadn’t.”

“Bull shit. I’m fine here.” he huffed, and closed the door in her face.

“They really think these things will hold me?” El huffed. “Untie me, dad.” she grumbled.

“I will if you promise to stay your ass right there in that bed with your banana bag.” he replied. “We don’t need anymore attention attracted to us, okay?”

“Fine. I promise I won’t get up.”

“Thank you.” he untied her hands and her feet- which especially pissed him off.

“How is Mike? Have you seen him? Is he okay?”

“Alright, El, listen to me. You have to calm down. The doctors are going to do everything they can for Mike.”

“That doesn’t sound good.” she shook his head.

“I can’t tell you anything good right now, El.” he said. “Other than he's alive. They had to put a tube in his throat to help him breathe, and then they rushed him to surgery.”

El put a hand on her forehead and closed her eyes.

“I should have- have stopped the bleeding while I still could. I should have  _ done _ something-!”

“El, as much blood, and as deep as those claws  _ went _ …” Will paused, and then continued, “there has to be internal damage. You couldn’t have fixed that.”

“But I could have  _ tried! _ I can’t lose him, dad. I  _ can’t _ .” she sobbed, and Hopper rushed to hug her. He held her in his arms as she sobbed, and looked at Will, who shook his head with a sigh and sat back in his chair.

She ended up crying herself to sleep, and by that time, a nurse had brought them all scrubs to change into and everyone was free of their ratty, torn and bloody clothes. Which was a good thing, because almost as soon as the last bag of clothes was taken off to who knows where, Karen Wheeler came barreling through the ER, demanding to know where her kids were, carrying her somehow sleeping six year old.

“Mom?” Nancy poked her head out of the room she was in, and Karen nearly shrieked, and ran to her daughter, hugging her tightly with one arm.

“Oh my God, thank God you’re okay. Where’s Mike?” she asked, looking in the room and only seeing Jonathan.

“Mom…” Nancy trailed off and sniffed.

“No…” Karen shook her head.

“He’s not- he’s not dead, mom, he’s just… It’s not good.”

“What happened?” she asked.

“Come sit down and we’ll try and explain what happened. Lucas, Erica and Steve know more than we do, but they’re all arguing in Max’s room.”

“Max, is she okay?”

“She got burned pretty bad.” Nancy said. 

“Oh. Okay, what happened to Mike?”

“From my understanding, once the Mind Flayer was out of the Upside Down completely, it became solid like Dustin thought.” Nancy began, “and Lucas threw a molotov at it and one of the Demogorgons were angry about it, I guess? And it went to attack Lucas and I think…. I think Mike pushed him out of the way.”

“Oh God.” Karen put a hand over her mouth. “How bad is it?”

“They rushed him to surgery as soon as we got here. He lost a lot of blood, mom. It was… it was  _ all over me _ .”

“I don’t think she really needed to know that.” Jonathan muttered to himself.

“God.” Karen buried her face in Holly’s hair for a moment.

“Hey, why don’t you lay her on the bed with me?” Jonathan asked. “There’s more than enough room. You should both sit down.”

“Thank you, Jonathan.” Karen said. She gently put Holly on the bed and she curled into Jonathan’s side and he wrapped an arm around the young girl, and pulled the scratchy hospital blanket over her. “I’d sit down but I want to check on the other kids and adults.” Karen said. “Where are they?”

“We’re all in rooms next to each other.” Nancy said. “Robin, Max and Steve are in the rooms to the left of us but Robin is the only one in her room and last I checked she was by herself and Steve is in Max’s room with Lucas, Dustin and Erica. I’m sure you’ll hear them all arguing once you get close. Hopper was in the room next to them but he’s with El and Will now. Joyce and Luis are in the room to the right of us- it’s one that two patients are in at a time- getting checked out now.” Nancy told her mom, checking off names with her fingers. “Murray is who knows where and Mike… he’s in surgery and we haven’t got an update yet, like I said earlier.” Karen nodded.

“Alright. I’m going to check on Joyce and Luis first, and then everyone else. If you need anything, let me know, okay? And here’s my purse- if you’re thirsty or hungry there’s a bunch of change and cash.” she handed it to Nancy and left the room.

Upon walking into the room, Karen immediately noticed that Luis was passed out as a nurse took care of his arm- the only reason she knew he was actually passed out and not sedated was the odd angle his head was at. 

“He’s not a fan of needles, it seems.” Joyce said and Karen turned her attention to the other woman. A nurse was taking care of her injuries as well, picking shrapnel out of her shoulders and chest.

“How on earth did that happen?” Karen asked. Joyce raised her eyebrows at Karen in a “don’t ask” way, and glanced at the nurse, who looked up.

“I don’t understand how any of these injuries happened, honestly.” the nurse said.

“I mean, Mr. Rodriguez here said that it was a  _ bear _ that bit him?” Luis’ nurse said. “And I’ve seen what a bear bite looks like. This is not it.”

“I’m Louise, by the way.” the nurse- Louise- taking care of Joyce said. “And I agree, that doesn’t look like a bear bite. And this doesn’t just look like taking a fall in dirt and rocks to me.” 

“That’s what happened. There’s nothing else for me to tell you.” Joyce shrugged, and hissed in pain when a fairly big piece was picked out.

“And what about those other injuries? The broken foot guy, the guy with the beaten-in face, that little girl with the burn on her side. They were all together. How could a bear cause so much chaos?”

“It’s a  _ bear _ .” Karen grumbled. “What’s it gonna do? Sit there and wave as people run away from it screaming? A bear  _ cub _ would cause chaos just at the thought of it. So leave it alone. You’d be surprised by what this group can get into.”

“Fifteen people, ma’am.” Luis’ nurse said. “Fifteen people, one who has supposedly been dead since July, a burn victim, a broken foot, a concussion, a sprained ankle, shrapnel, a bear bite, a beaten man and a fatally injured fifteen year old all come in on the same night from a singular bear attack?”

“I’m gonna have to ask you to shut your mouth and do your job, or get out and find someone who will.” Karen growled. “That fifteen year old boy is my  _ son.  _ And if you don’t have an update on him, I’d like for you to shut the fuck up and take care of his friend. Joyce, I’ll check on you a little later. Don’t answer them if they ask questions. I’m going to check on everyone else.” Joyce nodded and let out a sigh as she watched Karen leave the room.

She checked on Robin, who seemed to be sleeping, so she didn’t bother her, and moved on to the next room, where Steve was sitting on his bed and Dustin and Erica were in chairs on either side of him.

“How are you guys doing?” Karen asked.

“We’re okay, Mrs. Wheeler.” Dustin told her.

“I sprained my ankle.” Erica told her. “But I’m fine.”

“I almost killed the guy that stabbed Mike in the leg.” Steve added. Karen walked over to him and held her hands up and he high fived her.

“Good job.” she grabbed him and hugged him. “Thank you for protecting my son and his friends.”

“I didn’t do a great job at it.” Steve muttered. “Look at us, and where Mike is right now. He might not even live and it’ll be my fault-”

“Hush, it is not your fault, Steve.” Karen shook her head. “You did your best. You helped everyone you could, okay? And I’m sure that when Mike gets back, he’ll say the same thing.”

“Do you really think he will?” Dustin asked, chewing on his bottom lip. Karen released Steve and turned to the teen.

“I know my son. He’s not going down without a fight.”

Before leaving to go to the next room, she hugged Erica and told her to find her if she needed anything, and made her way to Max’s room. It was just her and Lucas there now, the two sitting side by side on the bed and flipping through the channels on the small tv in the corner.

“Mrs. Wheeler!” Lucas exclaimed, and stood up.

“Lucas, Max, how are you two doing?” she asked.

“I have this huge ass burn.” Max told her and pointed to her side. “But I’m okay.”

“I’m fine, I didn’t get hurt. Mrs. Wheeler, I’m sorry- I… I threw the bottle at it and then it was going to attack me and Mike pushed me out of the way and took the hit. It’s my fault he got hurt.” Karen stared at the boy for a moment, and she could see by the look in his eyes that he genuinely felt like it was his fault. She grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug.

“It’s not your fault, Lucas. It’s no one’s fault. Don’t blame yourself, it could have happened to anyone.”

“When Mike gets back he’s gonna slap you for thinking it’s your fault. Right Mrs. Wheeler?” Max said, and Karen chuckled and nodded, letting Lucas go.

“He will. He’ll probably yell at you for thinking about it too. He’ll hold a grudge about it for two years.” she joked. Lucas chuckled and nodded. “I’m gonna go check on El, Will and Jim. If you need me I’ll either be there or with Jonathan and Nancy, okay?” the couple nodded and Karen made her way back down the hall and to the last room. El was fast asleep in her bed, Hopper and Will sitting on the same side of it, an IV attached to Hopper.

“Hey.” Karen said quietly, and the two looked up. “How are you guys doing?” she asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

“We’re okay.” Will told her. “El just… she got upset about Mike.”

“Cried herself to sleep.” Hopper added. “Hey Will, buddy, why don’t you go check on your mom and brother?” Will nodded and quickly left the room. “Sit down, Karen.”

“Hop…” she hesitated, but took Will’s seat. Hopper turned to face her.

“Have you called Ted?” he asked.

“I- not yet, no, I got Holly and rushed here as soon as I got the call.”

“Well you need to. From what I remember he wasn’t always the best dad but he needs to know and be here. It didn’t look good, Karen.”

“How bad, Hop?”

“I can’t even begin to describe it.” he replied. “It’s claws got him on one side and slashed all the way to the other. I don’t know how the kid is in one piece, honestly.”

“Oh my God.” Karen buried her face in her hands.

“I tried to keep him safe, Karen, I swear to you, I did. But there was so much going on and when the Sinclair boy threw that bottle and it attacked- I couldn’t do anything. It felt like it happened in slow motion, but it happened so fast.”

“It’s not your fault, Hopper.” she told him. “It’s no one’s fault but Brenner.”

“It definitely feels like it.”

“How do you think I feel? He kept a girl in our basement for a week and me and Ted never noticed. We thought he was just going through a phase when El was gone and I should- I could have tried harder with them both. They were hurting for so long and I never knew, and they both think I’m a wino now. Especially Mike. So, this, this I think we can agree on and blame Brenner for. Not ourselves.”

Hopper nodded and let out a sigh, his eyes drifting towards his daughter.

“Is it bad that I didn’t think she’d make it through that fight?” he asked. “She used so much energy- I didn’t even see it end. I was with Mike and we were all trying to find things to stop the bleeding.”

“I think you were just worried and nervous, is all. I don’t think you really believed that. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have let her do it, right?” Hopper nodded.

“True.” 

After that, neither said anything for a while, instead deciding to sit quietly and watch El for any sign of movement. Hopper had a feeling she’d be out for a while, and when the doctors came to take her for a CT scan, he wasn’t too worried about her waking up.

While they were waiting, they decided to go to Nancy and Johnathan’s room- Joyce was in there now, Will having taken her place with Luis in case he woke up.

An X-Ray of his foot was on the wall behind the bed, and Jonathan’s arms were crossed and he was pouting.

“Why the hell is this eighteen year old pouting.” Hopper deadpanned, announcing he and Karen's arrival.

“He has to have surgery on his foot.” Joyce explained, standing up and immediately going to Hopper’s side. “And is very unhappy about it.”

“Goddamn Demodog.” he grumbled, resisting the urge to hit the sides of the mattress due to the tiny Wheeler still sleeping next to him.

“How long has it been?” Karen asked.

“Honestly, I have no idea.” Hopper replied.

“It’s what, going on four in the morning?” Nancy asked, and Karen checked her watch and nodded. “I remember El grabbing Mike’s arm at one point, I don’t remember if it was before we went into the lab or once we all grouped up again before everything happened, but she checked his watch and told him it was Valentine’s day now or something and kissed him, so I’m assuming then it was sometime after midnight.” she said. “So maybe about three hours since everything started? We’ve been here for maybe an hour and a half.”

“No one’s come to update you on Mike?” Karen asked. Nancy shook her head, and Karen promptly stood up and left the room. They watched as she spoke to a nurse so harshly, the nurse looked like she wanted to make a run for it, but instead spoke calmly, and after a minute or two Karen made her way back to the room and the nurse walked down the hall and through a door.

“Mom, what’d you say to scare that poor nurse?” Nancy asked.

“I simply asked Nurse Lorraine if she knew anything about Mike, she didn’t, so I asked her if she’d go and check for me.” she replied easily.

“That didn’t look simple.” Hopper raised an eyebrow at her and she shrugged.

“It worked.” put her hands on her hips. “When will they be taking you to surgery?” she asked Jonathan.

“Within thirty minutes.” Joyce replied for him. “They’re getting an operating room ready now.” Karen nodded and turned to her daughter.

“I’m going to call your father. I’ll try to be quick, but he’s asleep at this time of the night, so it might take a few tries to wake him. If I’m not back before they take you, good luck, Jonathan.” she patted his good leg and he gave her a smile.

“Thanks, Mrs. Wheeler.”

By the time she woke Ted up and informed him of what happened, and got back to Jonathan’s room, he was already taken back to surgery, Holly was asleep in Nancy’s arms, and parents and other family had arrived for the rest of the group.

Dustin’s mom, Lucas’ parents, Robin’s grandma Edith. Steve’s parents were a no show, and as were Susan and Neil. Luis’ mom had been called, but wouldn’t be there for a couple more hours.

“How is it you two always manage to get into trouble? Every year for the last what? Four years now?” Mr. Sinclair scolded.

“Only two for me.” Erica piped up. “Lucas is always getting into trouble.”

“Look, you two are telling us what’s going on  _ later _ , but for now, Max is hurt, so let’s all worry about her.” Mrs. Sinclair said, gesturing to the young teen.

“No, no, keep yelling at them, I‘m enjoying this.” Max grinned. “I’m fine, the pain meds are helping.”

“Dustybun! Oh my goodness, are you okay? What happened? You have blood in your hair!” Dustin made a face at his mom, who pointed at his hair, and he reached up and touched it, and a small amount came back on his index finger. The rest was dried.

“It’s not mine, mom.” Dustin shook his head. 

“Then who’s is it, dear?” she asked.

“It… It’s Mike’s.” he replied. She furrowed her eyebrows as she watched tears start to form in his eyes. “He’s hurt real bad, mom, we don’t know if he’s gonna make it.” Claudia didn’t say anything, instead just pulling her son into a hug and comforting him as best she could.

Edith took one look at Steve and slapped him on the arm, making a now awake Robin, laugh.

“Hey!”   
“What have I told you about that fighting, boy? It’ll get you killed one day!”

“But I  _ won _ this time!” he retorted.

“It doesn’t look it!”

“Okay, okay, you two calm it.” Robin waved her hands at them and they looked at her. “Steve might have gotten the crap beaten out of him, but he did win, and the person he fought hurt one of his kids. He was protecting them.” she wished she could tell her grandma the full truth, but she had to tweak it a  _ lot _ , to not give anything away.

“Which one was it?” she asked.

“The one that’s in surgery.” Steve replied. “It’s my fault- I could have protected him from both things, but I wasn’t fast enough.”

“It is  _ not  _ your fault.” Robin grumbled, throwing an empty cup at his head. “And when Mike comes back, he’ll tell you that himself.”

“Everything happens for a reason, Steve.” Edith told him, resting a hand on his shoulder. “You protected him, and the others as best you could.”

“Don’t let Tweedledee and Tweedledum hear you blame yourself, Erica might go feral on you.” 

“Jesus, you’re right.” he chuckled. “It still sucks, though.”

“I’ve never met the boy, but I think he’ll be okay.” Edith says. “From the bits I’ve heard, he’s determined, and he has a lot of friends and family fighting for him.”

“Your dad is on his way here.” Karen told Nancy. “It’ll be an hour or so before he gets here- you know how he drives.” Nancy chuckled and nodded.

“He sure did drive like a speed demon back when we were younger.” Hopper snorted and shook his head. Karen shrugged and nodded. Before either of them could say anything else, a voice outside the room had Hopper jumping up and trying to get out so fast he almost forgot his IV pole.

“Owens!” he yelled.

“James Hopper, what a sight for sore eyes, ey?” Ownes threw his hands in the air, dropping them with a grin.

“You need to get us a private room or floor or something, Owens. We have a lot to talk about.”

Six hours later, a surgeon spoke to the rest of his operating room,   
“There’s nothing else we can do right now. We need to close him up, clean and treat any wounds we can, and take him up to ICU. If he makes it through the next twenty-four hours, we’ll go in again.”

“Are we sure he even has a chance, Doctor Richards?” a nurse asked.

“You’re never sure with cases like this. However, Nurse Hallie, we’re gonna do our best to give this boy a second chance. Lord knows he’s too young to go. Are you all good to close? I’m going to update the family and I’ll be back to help.”

It was going on eleven in the morning, now, and part of one of the lower floors was bustling with activity. It was the floor with the ICU on it, and Hawkins didn’t usually get those kinds of cases, so it was more or less empty except for nurses and an older lady with a really messed up hip. Owens was able to get a private area for everyone on the floor, and the only nurses and doctors on the floor for the kids were ones he trusted, meaning some of the injured had different doctors now, but they just rolled with it, like they rolled with everything else. 

Mike, however, would have the same doctor and team, as Owens was apparently close with them and trusted them enough. 

Everyone was still there, except for the Sinclairs, Dustin’s mom, and Robin’s grandma.They refused to leave, and thankfully, the nurses helped them out by having food brought to them from the cafeteria- albeit it wasn’t the  _ best  _ but it was the thought that counts.

Everyone’s injuries were doing fine so far, and Jonathan was in and out of it for a bit, but now he was awake and talking. Everyone stayed together for the most part, in the ICU waiting room- which Jonathan was eventually able to convince his nurse to let him go in a wheelchair- since the rooms themselves were small.

Hopper explained as much as he possibly could to Owens, telling him about his time in the Upside Down, how he could hear the outside world sometimes, and that was how he discovered that Brenner was still alive and going after El, but went for Mike to get information on her whereabouts.

The teens told their stories as well, each group telling their own thing. Max and Lucas made sure to drill into Owens mind that there was a dead Demospider at the bottom of Hawkins pool.

“Now, Mr. Sinclair, Ms. Sinclair, and Mr. Harrington. Can you three explain to me what happened to Mr. Wheeler?” Owens asked.

“Well… As I’m sure Murray told you, if he’s even here anywhere, we all had molotovs and were throwing them at the monsters.” Lucas said. “And, well, when El finally got all of the Mind Flayer out of the gate, I threw one at it, and it hit it, shattering and fire just spread all up it’s…. Arm thing.”

“It was like everything happened in slow motion.” Steve added, and the Sinclair siblings nodded. 

“It screamed really loud and… the closest Demogorgon got pissed, I guess, and came running at us.” Erica said.

“It was running at  _ me _ because  _ I _ threw it. And then I dropped my lighter, and had no weapon. It raised it’s arm and all of a sudden I was on the ground and Mike was flying into a wall. He pushed me out of the way and took the hit.”

“El saw it.” Steve said. “And the world slowed again, dude, I swear. She  _ screamed _ and so much power came out of her, killing a lot of the monsters and even the Mind Flayer went down for a short amount of time.”

Before they could continue, the door burst open and Dustin practically yelled-

“There’s an update on Mike!” before leaving again. The three didn’t waste a second, following quickly behind Dustin- Erica slowed down because of her ankle.

“I’d like to speak to the family of Michael Wheeler.” the doctor announced, loud enough for any room in the hall to hear him. Karen immediately stood up, Ted, Nancy and El following quickly after and spoke all at once.

“We’re his parents.”

“Sister.”

“I’m his girlfriend.”

“Okay. Just the parents, or is the rest of your group allowed to hear?” he asked politely.

“Everyone. We’re all family here.” Ted said. 

“Alrighty. Well, if everyone could gather a bit closer I’ll speak to you all. I’m Doctor Richards.” 

After a moment or two, everyone was seated around the waiting room. 

“Well, Michael-”

“Mike.” El corrected.

“Mike.” he repeated. “Mike lost a lot of blood, before surgery, and during surgery. There were severe internal injuries involving his spleen and liver. We had to remove his spleen completely and the damaged part of his liver. We also had to remove some of his small intestines. That’s all we could do for now, unfortunately. We stopped all bleeding, fortunately and closed him up and treated all other wounds we could, including a stab wound to the lower, outer thigh, three lacerations on his arm, and the long gashes side to side. If he makes it through the next twenty four hours, we’ll go in again and repair any more damage. If we were to continue, he most likely wouldn’t make it.” he explained. “I don’t want to give anyone false hope, but… this young man is a miracle. I don’t know how he wasn’t cut completely in half from this, and didn’t bleed out immediately after. Considering he’s made it through the first surgery, I wholeheartedly believe that he’ll make it through this. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure he does. Does anyone have any questions?”

“When can we see him?” Karen asked, as Dustin asked,

“Will he wake up during the wait?”

“We will only be allowing two at a time to see him once we have him set up in a room. Two  _ only _ . And no, Mister….” he looked to Dustin.

“Dustin.”

“Dustin, no, Mike will not be awake during the twenty four hour period. We have him heavily sedated, and he likely wouldn’t wake up yet anyways.”

“If he makes it through the next surgery, what’s the next step?” Ted asked.

“We’ll have him heavily sedated.” Dr. Richards replied. “Mike has been through a very traumatic experience, traumatic surgery. If we were to try and wake him up immediately after surgery, it wouldn’t be good. Are there any more questions?” no one said anything. “Okay, I’m gonna head back to the operating room to help out, and I’ll have Nurse Hallie let you know once things are set up.”

As soon as he was out of sight, Karen deflated in her seat, covering her face with both hands.

“I don’t know whether to be relieved or not yet.” she said into her hands.

“Mike promised me he’d fight.” El said. Everyone looked at her. “He promised he wouldn’t leave me. Mike doesn’t break promises.”

“El, Sweetie, I don’t know if this is a promise Mike can keep.” Joyce told her and rubbed a hand up and down her arm.

“He will. I know he will.”

* * *

**Thursday, March 6, 1986**

For the most part, Mike kept his promise. He fought for his life those twenty four hours, and another twenty four after his next surgery. 

That was three weeks ago now, and a lot of things have changed since then. 

The cover story for the lab’s fire- which Owens had happen not long after everything went down- was that most of the group was in the wrong place at the wrong time, once again. The town didn’t question it.

The reason for Hopper’s apparent death was that Brenner, who had been assumed dead, and his men took Hopper and kept him in the lab for seven months, trying to get information on the apparent Russian spy he was convinced Hopper had been hiding. Then it went on to how Mike was kidnapped and tortured for information, and that the animal that attacked Mike and his friends was a wild animal that Brenner captured and used, but was never specified. Nancy helped write the article. 

The cover story was a bit all over the place, but the town didn’t question it either. To them, Brenner had just lost his mind after his disappearance years prior. Like, really lost his mind, and was the reason behind most of the accidents in Hawkins. Most were thankful he died in the  _ fire _ and that they didn’t have to worry about him anymore. Most talk had dwindled to none by now, just another bad memory for the town.

During the three weeks, the Byers somewhat officially moved back to town, thanks to the “hush hush” check she and many others got. For the most part, they were living in a small Bed and Breakfast not too far from the hospital, and Hopper stayed with them considering his cabin was still very much in pieces. It was stressful, with figuring out the living situation and school but they did it. Hopper was working on becoming Chief again, though that was proven to be difficult as the new Mayor claimed that he needed to get approved by a shrink, and Hopper was not happy about that. Another addition to the family, however, was Max. Hopper and Owens worked together to get her out of her previous home and into the Byers-Hopper home, and the Hargroves are long gone now. Luis wasn’t happy about the situation, but often shadow walked to Will’s room for the hell of it.

Nancy eventually told her father about her pregnancy, and he was absolutely not happy about it, still wasn’t, but he didn’t disown and kick her out as she thought he would. She was now nineteen weeks along and everyone was fighting over whether it was a boy or girl, and it was pretty half and half so far.

As for Mike, well… He was still holding on. His doctor kept him sedated for about a week, with a ventilator breathing for him. When they stopped the sedation, the doctor and nurses told them that it could take one to two hours for him to really wake up. He was able to breathe on his own now, so they took him off the ventilator. He did wake up, for a very short period of time and couldn’t really talk. All he’d done was look around at the people standing over his bed, and then went back to sleep.

He hasn’t woken back up.

“Sometimes, the patient isn’t yet ready to wake up.” Doctor Richards had explained to them. “ He’s absolutely improving, and after taking a look at his scans, everything seems to be fine up here.” he tapped his own head a few times. “Mike’s just not ready to wake up.”

When the time came, and Mike woke up, he’d still spend a few more weeks or even months in the hospital to continue healing, and eventually therapy.

All of the Party visited him frequently, held his hands and talked to him. They told them about their day, what they learned in school. El stayed by his side almost constantly. She barely ever went home, and when she did, it was only to shower, sleep overnight, and pick up her own school supplies, and did most of her work sitting on the couch next to Mike’s bed.

Today it was just her. The Party was at school for end of the year exams, Jonathan and Nancy were in their senior year and needed all the studying they could get, and Steve and Robin were working. As were Joyce and Ted. Karen had already been there that morning- had actually dropped El off at the hospital- and was running a few errands.

She hated it. She hated the sight of him in the bed, tubes and wires all over him.  _ In _ him. But she still stayed. She wasn’t giving up on him.

Giving up on her work, she stood and sat in the chair that was right next to his bed, and sat in it, grabbing the hand that wasn’t hooked up to everything.

“It’s day twenty, Mike. I haven’t seen your eyes, or heard your voice in twenty days, give or take a few hours. That’s almost three weeks.” she rubbed her thumb over his knuckles. “The doctors don’t think you can hear me, but I think you can.” she smiled to herself. “You better be able to. I’m going to quiz you on everything I’ve told you. I’m writing down the questions as we go along.” she lifted his hand and cupped it with both of hers, bringing it up to her lips and looking up at him. “Doctor Richards keeps saying that you aren’t ready to wake up yet. Why? I miss you, Mike. You’ve  _ got _ to wake up soon. You promised me you wouldn’t leave me, remember? You promised. That’s the one promise you can  _ never _ break. Do you understand me?” she squeezed her eyes shut, but a few tears escaped anyways. She sniffed and opened them, releasing his hand with only one of hers and wiping away her tears. “I guess… I guess I’m gonna get back to work. Hopper would kill me if I didn’t get anything done.” she let out a sigh, and stood up. 

She started to walk away and gently let go of his hand, but she didn’t get one step away and she felt his grip tighten. She let out a gasp and turned so quickly she could’ve gotten whiplash. Her eyes immediately focused on Mike’s, who was staring right back at her, eyes half open. She rushed closer and nearly jumped on the bed, moving closer to his face and cupping his cheek with her free hand.

“Mike, oh my God. Mike, can you hear me?” she asked quickly.

“I… ugh… yeah?” it came out like a question, but he  _ talked _ to her.

“Oh my God.” she let his hand go long enough to hit the nurse button on the remote and grabbed his hand again. “Can you try and open your eyes wider for me? I know it’s bright in here, but can you try?”

He blinked a few times before opening them all the way, his eyes flickering over her face.

“El?”

“It’s me, Mike, it’s El.” she slammed her hand on the button again, and seconds later a nurse came in.

“Is everything- Oh my God. I’ll get Doctor Richards!” the nurse exclaimed and ran out of the room.

El kept talking to Mike, but all he did was stare at her, and when Hopper ran into the room, damn near running into the  _ door _ , they both jumped, Mike groaning.

“Why in the  _ hell _ are all the nurses outside freaking out?” Hopper asked, not noticing Mike staring at him.

“Mike…” El gestured to her boyfriend on the bed. Hopper startled when he saw the teens eyes staring back at him.

“Holy- shit, kid, when did you wake up?” he asked.

“I… um… I don’t…” he was absolutely out of it still, confusion in his voice. Hopper walked closer to him and nudged at El, and she moved.

“Hey, hey Wheeler? Do you know who I am?” he asked, snapping his fingers in front of his face.

“H-Hop.” he replied, eyes crossing for a second trying to focus on Hopper’s hand.

“You know who you are?” Mike nodded and closed his eyes for a moment, letting his head fall back onto the bed.

“Is… is everyone okay? Wha… What happened?” he asked. Hopper looked back at El, who rushed around to the other side of the bed, resting her hand on one of his cheeks and making him look at her.

“Everyone is  _ fine _ .” she told him, smiling down at him. “It’s all over. For good.”

“For good?” he repeated.

“For good.” she confirmed.

Before anyone else could get a word in, Doctor Richards was rushing in with another doctor and two nurses behind him, forcing Hopper and El out of the room.

Neither were let back in for a good twenty minutes, El pacing in front of the closed door, gnawing at her lip, her hands stuffed into her jean pockets.

“Kid, he’s  _ awake _ .” Hopper told her, standing from his position on the bench and resting his hands on her shoulders to stop her. She looked up at him.

“But… but what if he’s scared? And they made me leave? Because that’s got to be scary in there with people you don’t know I mean, I would be scared. I  _ am _ scared. And what if he’s in a lot of pain and I’m not there to-to hold his  _ hand _ ? I-”

“Kid- El, look, calm down, okay?” Hop reasoned with the panicking girl. “Mike will be fine. They’re just doing a few tests, okay?”

“How do you know that?”

“I just do, alright? They’re making sure he doesn’t have any memory loss or anything like that. I’m sure we can go back in soon.” he nodded to emphasize and she nodded back, letting out a huff as she sat down, Hopper taking the spot next to her.

After about ten more minutes, the nurses and Doctor Richards finally emerged from Mike’s room, the nurses leaving to go check on other patients while Doctor Richards stopped to talk to Hopper and El, who had both stood up.

“How is he?” El demanded.

“He is… well, a miracle, to say the least. He’s talking pretty well- much better for someone who hasn’t spoken in three weeks or really had water or anything to drink. We just asked him questions, as in who he was, if he knew all his friends names, the year it was. We didn’t tell him that it was a different month from when he was last awake, I figured it’d be easier for you to explain. But so far, everything checks out. I asked him if he remembered anything from that night and he just stared at me for a moment, and then said, and I quote, “Was it Tim or Dennis?” I don’t know what that means, but I’d assume it’s some sort of joke with his friends because he sort of laughed afterwards.” Doctor Richards chuckled, and El nearly let out a sob of relief.

“Is he in any pain?” Hopper asked. Doctor Richards grimaced at the question and put a hand on both their shoulders.

“Mike is gonna be in a lot of pain for a while. While we’ll be giving him heavy doses of morphine to keep it at bay, it’s not unlikely he won’t still feel it. We’re going to keep him as comfortable as we possibly can without hurting him in the process, okay? For the first few days he’ll be pretty out of it, sleeping a lot, or he might say odd things, but that’s normal. You two can go back in. Would you like for me to have someone call his parents?” he asked.

“No, uh, I’ll call them.” Hopper told him, and Doctor Richards went on his way. “I’ll give you a few minutes with him, kid.” Hop squeezed El’s shoulder and she looked up at him with a small smile, her eyes wet with tears.

“Thank you.” she whispered. Hopper nodded and gave her a pat on the back before walking towards the payphones at the end of the hall. 

El faced the door and took a deep breath, wiping at her eyes before going into the room, shutting the door behind her.

Mike was sitting up a little more now, a small white cup with a straw in it sitting on the table next to him, close enough for him to reach if he wanted it. He was staring up at the ceiling, fidgeting with his blanket.

“Mike?” El asked softly. He turned his head towards her and gave her a tired smile. She walked over to one side of the bed and leaned against it, taking the hand that was fidgeting in her own. 

“Hi.” he whispered.

“Hey.” she gave him a small smile. “How do you feel?” she asked.

“I… I hurt.” he replied. “All over… but I’m- I’m fine. I’ll be… okay.”

“You’ll tell me if it gets bad?” she asked him. He nodded.

“Promise.”

“Okay.” she smiled again. “Do you… do you remember anything?”

“I… I remember a lot of…. Of screaming, and… seeing... fire? And Lucas…. He threw a… a thing. Can’t remember… but he threw it and… I pushed him out of the way?” he squinted a bit, as if it would help him remember. “I’m sorry… I…” he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. “I’m tired.”

“It’s okay, Mike.” El told him softly. “You can go back to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.” he blinked slowly and licked his lips.

“I… love you.”

El smiled and let out a quiet laugh.

“I love you too, Mike.”

* * *

A few hours later, everyone was at the hospital and they were all eager to go see Mike while he was awake, and at one point, it was just the Wheeler’s.

“Hey, Mikey. How you doing?” Nancy asked after her parents and little sister got a hold of her brother. It was pretty funny, seeing how he reacted to what their parents told him. Mike looked her up and down for a moment, his eyes widening at the sight of her belly, and then he let out a huff of a laugh.

“I forgot that... you were pregnant.” he said, lifting a hand and poking her. Then he gasped- and with that gasp, she noticed his eyes scrunch up for a second in pain- and said, “oh shit, I just… I just told dad... didn’t I? I’m sorry.” he looked up at her, wide eyed. Nancy couldn’t help but chuckle and pat his hand.

“He already knows, Mikey.” she assured him.

“She told me a few days ago.” Ted said, standing at the foot of the bed. Mike turned his head towards his dad. Mike waved his hand at his dad.

“You don’t have to, to worry about  _ me _ … dad.” Mike told him seriously. Ted raised his eyebrows.

“Why’s that?” he asked.

“I won’t be… getting pregnant anytime… soon- wait.” he scrunched his nose and Karen giggled behind her hand. “I mean… I won’t  _ get anyone _ … pregnant.”

“Alright, son.” Ted chuckled and Mike gave him a thumbs up.

When they left and the Party took their place, Ted made sure to ask a nurse about the dosage they were giving him, claiming that he was “too high” on morphine, but said nurse assured he and Karen both that the dosage was fine and that it affects people differently.

“I’d thank you for saving my life, but I don’t think you’d remember.” Lucas joked, fist bumping Mike. Mike furrowed his brows at him.

“I’ll remember... _ everything  _ you tell me.” Mike said confidently. Lucas snorted.

“Alright then, well, thank you for saving my life.”

“You’re  _ welcome. _ ”

Mike didn’t remember  _ anything _ the first few days, and when they told him he’d been in a sort of “coma” for three weeks, in Dustin’s words, he nearly “shit himself”

* * *

**Monday, July 28, 1986**

“It’s a girl, I’m telling you!” Max huffed, crossing her arms as she leaned against a wall.

“How do you know?” Lucas asked, crossing his arms and mocking her.

“You two are fighting over this ten times more than Jonathan and Nancy ever have.” Mike said, from his spot on a waiting room chair, leg bouncing nervously. It had only been a few weeks since he left the hospital, due to the extensive injuries that needed months of healing and physical therapy, which he still has to go to twice a week.

El sat next to him, her head on his shoulder, smiling as she watched two of their friends arguing.

“Mike’s right, dudes. This isn’t even your kid and you’re fighting over what it is.”

“Like you don’t have a guess as to what it is.” Max rolled her eyes.

“I do but I’m not getting fighting mad over it.” Dustin snickered.

“We also won’t be all butt hurt like you guys’ll be when you find out you’re wrong.” Will added.

“Let’s all just be happy things are going okay so far, yes?” Ted asked as he walked into the room, arms full of drinks and snacks for the teens, Holly trailing closely behind him holding two coca cola cans. Dustin jumped up in excitement and nearly knocked Holly over in an attempt to grab a bag of chips out of Ted’s arms.

Mike let out a snort at the judgemental face Holly made at the teen, covering his mouth with his hand to cover up his laughter. She walked around Dustin and held up the drinks to her brother and his girlfriend.

“Thanks, Hols.” they told her, grinning at her. She grinned back.

“You’re welcome.” she replied brightly.

“Dustin, leave the man alone. He’ll give you your stuff when he gives you it.” Erica grabbed Dustin by the wrist and dragged him away.

It wasn’t long after everyone got their snacks that Hopper made his way into the crowded waiting room, making his way over to the corner, where two very worried mothers were waiting.

“How are we doing over here?” he asked, sitting next to Joyce and wrapping an arm around her.

“We’re nervous.” Joyce replied and Karen nodded in agreement.

“How long has it been since you last got an update?” he asked.

“About two hours.” Karen replied, looking at her watch.

“Things were going pretty fast though, weren’t they?”

“Yeah, but it’s different for everyone.” Karen told him. “And as small as Nancy is? I’ve never been small like her, and all my babies were big babies.”

“You call Mike big? As if he was anymore than a stick figure in his  _ life _ .” Hopper joked. Mike heard him and turned almost completely in his chair, El following his actions.

“I can  _ hear _ you.” he grumbled. Hopper laughed.

“I wasn’t trying to be discreet, Wheeler.” Mike rolled his eyes and turned back around, but he had a small grin on his face. El pinched his cheek and Mike looked at her weird.

“Did you just pinch my cheek?” he asked.

“Yep.” she pinched his other one and he jerked his head back.

“ _ Why _ ?”

“To distract you.” she replied.

“There are other ways of distracting me, you know.” he raised an eyebrow at her. She narrowed her eyes at him. 

“We’re in a hospital, Michael.” she scolded.

“It’s just kissing.” he replied, grinning at her.

“Kissing is also what led to you being an uncle, Wheeler.” El mocked Hopper, making her voice go as deep as possible and Mike cackled. El giggled and buried her face in his shoulder.

“Anyone know where Dustin and Will went?” Lucas asked. The two had disappeared in the last few minutes.

“Luis probably came and snatched them.” Mike joked. El snorted and shook her head.

“Steve and Robin went to the cafeteria and gift shop. Dustin probably went on the hunt for Steve and dragged Will with him.” she told Lucas.

“Ah, makes sense. Thanks Mr. Wheeler.” Lucas added as Ted handed him a bag of chips and a pack of skittles, Holly giving Max a bottle of coke.

“Awe Hols, are you being your dad's little helper?” Max cooed. Holly grinned and nodded, and followed after her dad. “Ah, kids. They’re adorable.”

It was another two hours before they had an update, and by the time they did, everyone was sitting in the waiting room and waiting.

Jonathan rushed down the hallway and through the waiting room doors, still wearing a pair of scrubs they made him put on. As soon as Joyce saw her son, she jumped up and pulled Karen with her, the two holding onto each other as they waited for him to speak. Everyone else turned their attention to him.

“It’s a boy.” he said breathlessly, grinning. “He weighs eight pounds and seven ounces and twenty inches long. Him and Nancy are both amazing.”

Joyce couldn’t help but let out a little shriek as she let go of Karen and practically tackled her son in a hug. Everyone clapped and cheered- quietly, because this is the maternity ward after all.

“Congrats, kid.” Hopper said, clapping him on the back. Jonathan grinned at him.

“Okay, um, he was born about an hour ago. They gave us time with him before they took him to the nursery for tests and stuff, if you guys wanna see him?” everyone nodded excitedly, and started to all get up, but he stopped them. “Um, two groups, because there’s a lot of us.” he chuckled. “Immediate family first? Parents, siblings you know? Then I’ll take everyone else.” he suggested. A few pouted, but nodded in understanding.

The parents and siblings of the couple stood, except for El, who still wasn’t sure- even after all this time- until Jonathan held a hand out to her.

“Come on, El.” he smiled at her. She smiled back and took his hand, and as he led the group towards the nursery, she took her boyfriend's hand and grinned at him, and he grinned back.

The baby boy was one of three babies in the nursery at the moment, and the other two were girls. The second Karen and Joyce saw him, they started bawling their eyes out and hugging Jonathan. Mike and Will stood close to the window, their noses nearly touching it, staring at the baby. El picked Holly up so she could see better, and she giggled.

“Whoa.” Mike and Will chorused, and looked at each other. 

“Dude, we’re technically related now.” Mike told him.

“I know.” Will laughed. “Weird, huh?”

“Very.” Mike nodded in agreement.

“Has the kid got a name?” Hopper asked.

“What difference would it make? You’ll just call him kid.” Mike turned and raised an eyebrow at him. Hopper flicked his ear and put his hand on the top of Mike’s head and forced him to turn back around.

“Yeah, uh, Nancy said it was okay to tell you, so, yeah. Gray Eli Vincent Byers.” he said proudly. “We just liked the names Gray and Vincent, Eli too, of course, but he was named after the person who saved all our asses not too long ago.” El gasped and turned to look at Jonathan, and noticed everyone looking at her.

“Really?” she asked. Jonathan nodded.

“We were going to name him Eli Gray Vincent, but figured it be a bit confusing sometimes, and it just sounded better the other way.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“We wanted to. If it wasn’t for you, well, none of us probably would’ve made it.” El blinked a few times, tears gathering in her eyes, and put Holly down before tackling Jonathan in a hug, hugging him tightly.

“Thank you. I’m glad he’s okay.” Jonathan chuckled.

“You’re welcome, El. And yeah, me too.”

After seeing little Gray for a few minutes, Jonathan led them to Nancy’s room, where the girl was sitting up in her bed, running a brush through her still slightly damp hair.

“Oh, my baby!” Karen cooed, rushing over to her. Nancy snorted and hugged her mom. “How do you feel?” she asked.

“Like a baby came out of my vagina.” she deadpanned.

“ _ Gross _ , Nancy!” Mike gagged.

“Does it hurt that bad?” El asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Girl, I’m sorry to say, but at this point I’m too tired to care, but there is a head bigger than a baseball, coming out of this little-”

“Alright, alright, chill.” Hopper said. “Christ.”

“Mike, we’re never having kids. We’ll adopt.” El told her boyfriend, who turned a beet red and instead of greeting his sister properly or hugging her, went and literally stood with his face in the corner for a solid ten minutes while everyone else hugged and congratulated Nancy. He didn’t even notice that his nephew was brought back in.

“Come here you overdramatic brat.” Nancy called to him. “And meet your nephew.” he turned around and jumped a little at the sight of the new arrival. Apparently, Karen and Joyce had each gotten a minute to hold him, and Will wasn’t ready, Hopper and Ted outright refused because they were scared to hold him standing up.

“Wanna hold him?” Joyce asked him. Mike furrowed his brows at her.

“Um, I don’t know-”

“Oh don’t be a wuss like dad and Hop.”

“Hey!” they grumbled.

“You’re not gonna hurt him, Mike.” Joyce told him. “I promise.”

“Um, okay. Yeah. How do I-” Karen showed him how to hold his arms out and Joyce gently placed the small baby in his arms. “Oh, crap, this is weird.” he chuckled nervously and looked down at the tiny person. “He’s so wrinkly.”

“He’s a baby, babies are always wrinkly.” Hopper said.

“You’re wrinkly.” Mike muttered and Will snorted. El looked over Mike’s shoulder at Gray, and gently caressed his forehead with her finger. He heard clicking and said, “Mom I swear if you take a picture of me with a flash, I might drop him.” he glanced up, only to see it wasn’t his mom about to take a picture, but Jonathan, who gave him a shit eating grin.

“Don’t worry, there’s no flash.” 

That picture was framed and put in both the Wheeler house, and Byers house, and the young couple were constantly teased about their “future”.

* * *

**Friday, February 13, 1987**

In just a few short hours, it’ll officially be a year since anything Upside Down related, and the anticipation for midnight was unruly for the group. 

They were treating tonight as if it were New Years Eve, snacks, a bit of music to try and ease their minds, and a lot of deep conversation. The only thing really keeping their minds off of things, was six and a half month old Gray, who was already trying to crawl, but hadn’t yet succeeded. 

“Oh come on, you little turd, I know you can do it.” Mike said, holding a little stuffed puppy in front of him. He was lying on his stomach a few feet in front of Gray, Holly sitting on his ass for no apparent reason, trying to get Gray to crawl to him.

“He’s still too little, Mike. And stop calling him a turd, you turd.” Nancy told him, sitting on the floor and leaning against Jonathan’s legs.

“Babies usually start crawling between six and ten months, Nancy. And he’s  _ trying _ to crawl. Aren’t you, buddy? Tell your mom you’re trying to crawl to your favorite uncle!” he cooed. Gray let out a bunch of weird noises and smiled at Mike, a bit of drool dripping out of his mouth and onto the floor. “You are  _ so  _ gross, man.” Mike muttered. “But so cute.”

“Favorite uncle my  _ ass _ !” Dustin shrieked. “ _ I’m  _ his favorite uncle!”

“I love how offended Dustin sounds.” Max snickered.

“Right?” Lucas agreed and laughed. 

“No  _ I’m _ his favorite!” Steve yelled from somewhere.

“More like  _ grandma _ !” Dustin yelled back.

“You people yell  _ too much _ .” Hopper grumbled, and promptly walked out the front door.

“Don’t kill me, but I’m gonna pick him up.” El joked, sitting across from Mike and picking Gray up, placing him in her lap. He immediately started grabbing at El’s hair and necklace.

“Hols, I gotta get up.” Mike looked back at his little sister, who nodded and hopped up, running off to who knows where. He rolled over and sat up, turning to face his girlfriend and nephew, who was grabbing at El’s chin now, and she pretended to bite at his hand, making him squeal and grin a toothless grin.

Mike just watched them for a few minutes, just smiling to himself.

“Ugh, Mike’s got heart eyes again.” Dustin complained, plopping down next to Jonathan with a plate of food.

“No I don’t, shut up.” Mike furrowed his brows and glared at Dustin. El laughed.

“This’ll be you two in only a matter of years.” Robin pointed between the two of them.

“Uh uh.” they both shook their heads.

“What ever.” she snorted. “There’ll be a couple of little Mikes and little Els running around within ten years. Mark my words.”

“We’re fifteen, man, leave us alone.” Mike whined. Robin just laughed.

“Hello my friends, I have ARRIVED!” Luis shrieked as he appeared in the corner, scaring everyone. He let out a delighted gasp at the sight of Gray. “Oh my gosh! It’s a tiny little baby person!” he barely asked before taking Gray from El and bouncing him around. El laughed and shook her head.

* * *

Ten minutes to midnight, Gray and Holly were both asleep, and most of the teens were outside playing in the snow. Ted had retired to he and Karen’s room hours ago, unable to stay up as late as everyone else. Murray was conspiring about something with Nancy and Jonathan for the paper in the kitchen, and Karen, Joyce and Hopper were in the dining room talking, leaving Mike and El in the living room by themselves.

El crawled over to her boyfriend, who was still seated on the floor, and settled herself between his legs, throwing hers over his thighs and wrapping her arms around him. This is what Dustin likes to call “Koala El”. Mike wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and rested his chin on her shoulder, swaying side to side a bit.

“You still not gonna tell me what you have planned for tomorrow?” El asked him. She felt him laugh against her, and felt his hair rub against her neck as he shook his head.

“Nope.”

“Why?” she whined.

“Surprises mean you don’t know what’s happening, El. That was Mike’s teaching one oh one class.” she smacked his back at that and he laughed again.

“Ass.” she joked.

“I just want tomorrow to be special, unlike last year, you know?” he muttered. “I don’t wanna bring it up anymore than necessary, but you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I know.” she rubbed a hand up and down his side a few times, where a lot of the scarring was. She leaned back just enough to kiss his forehead, and then rested her head on top of his. They stayed like that for a few minutes, before they heard cheering from outside, and Mike checked his watch. Twelve O’clock on the dot. He leaned back and grinned at El, who grinned back at him and rested her forehead on his.

“It really  _ is _ over.” she whispered. 

“It is.” he nodded in agreement, and pressed his lips against hers. She kissed him back, and when she pulled away, she hugged him tightly and whispered again,

“I love you.”

“I love you too, El.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the end of my Stranger Things Season 4!! I hope you guys enjoyed it! It definitely shouldn't have taken this long to be finished, but it finally is.
> 
> I'm totally on board with doing a "deleted scenes"/"missing moments" type of thing, that would include a deleted scene of Hopper after escaping the Upside Down, of which I completely forgot to write and add until it was to late to do so, Mike's recovery, Mileven's Valentine's date, etc, if you guys would want to see that!


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